Prince William had been due to visit troops and their families from the Army Air Corps in Suffolk today but a statement from Kensington Palace said the engagement has been postponed

Prince William has been forced to pull out of an engagement today at the last minute due to bad weather.

The Prince of Wales has postponed a visit to meet troops and their families from the Army Air Corps (AAC). He was due to arrive at Wattisham flying station in Suffolk in a Wildcat Helicopter, a reconnaissance aircraft in the AAC’s fleet. But Kensington Palace said: “With regret, this engagement has been postponed as a result of poor weather which would have significantly restricted the planned programme.

“The Prince of Wales sends his sincere apologies to those who he had been due to meet and hopes to reschedule his visit at the earliest convenience.” William became the AAC’s Colonel-in-Chief in May 2024 when the King officially handed over the role at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop.

Prince William during a ceremony with King Charles where he became Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps ( 
Image:
Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
King Charles – who became the inaugural holder of the title 33 years ago – met with his eldest son in a rare joint official engagement to transfer the role last year. The Army Air Corps is Prince Harry’s old unit, in which he served as an Apache helicopter commander and co-pilot gunner during his second tour to Afghanistan in 2012. The King’s decision to hand the role to William was seen as a blow to Harry when it was announced in 2023.

William’s visit to Suffolk today was due to come after he resumed duties for 2025 yesterday with a trip to Birmingham where he joined a conference before popping into a Wetherspoons for a pint and chat with fans of his beloved Aston Villa before catching the train back to London.

William listens during the inaugural Emergency and Critical Care Conference ( 
Image:
PA)
Earlier yesterday, the future king visited first-responders as he was unveiled as Patron of the College of Paramedics. He chatted with dozens of paramedic staff who had travelled across the country for the conference speaking about training, drones and hospital waiting times. After thanking the medics for their “best wishes” following the Princess of Wales revealing earlier this week that she was in remission from cancer, Wills, 42, joked that he would pop into the popular pub chain nearby to see if there were any fellow Aston Villa fans.

Punters were then left agasp when the heir walked into the The London and North Western pub in Birmingham New Street station before saying hello and sitting at a table of locals. Wills had arranged a meet-up with the Villa regulars and he bought a round of beers for the eight Villa fans in the Wetherspoons pub.

The fans had been at the station ahead of catching a train up to Liverpool to watch their side take on Everton in the Premier League last night. The future King, who sipped a pint of Bulmers cider, stayed for around half an hour before taking his train back to London.

Earlier in the afternoon at the event in the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre, William, who formerly served as an air ambulance pilot in Anglesey, spoke to paramedics about the pressures of the job and how they are harnessing new technology.