A beaming Prince William has returned to work for his first official engagment of 2025 – and just a day after wife Kate revealed she was in remission from cancer.
The Prince of Wales travelled to Birmingham, where he joined the College of Paramedics for its inaugural emergency and critical care conference. A relaxed William could be seen smiling widely as he met paramedics before the conference and listened intently before making a speech at the special event.
William’s visit to the conference comes as he has become patron of the College of Paramedics. William is a former air ambulance helicopter pilot and the prince served for three years as a helicopter pilot with the RAF Search and Rescue Force, flying rescue missions from RAF Valley in Anglesey from the autumn of 2010.
Prince William beams as he meets delegates at the inaugural Emergency and Critical Care Conference ( Image: PA)
He later joined the East Anglian Air Ambulance, responding to call-outs for two years before stepping down in July 2017 to focus on his royal duties.
The College of Paramedics was established in 2001 and is involved in developing the paramedic profession through advocating for professional standards, learning and development, and taking care of the mental health and well-being of its members.
In February last year, the college was granted the Royal Charter of Incorporation by the King and today has a membership of more than 20,000, open to all UK paramedics registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, student paramedics and those who have an interest in the paramedic profession and healthcare delivery.
William greets paramedic Edward Griffiths ( Image: PA)
William has taken an interest in the health and well-being of the profession and in 2018 convened an emergency responder senior leaders board in response to research by King’s College London and the Open University, commissioned by the prince’s Royal Foundation, which identified a need for the emergency services to work in unity to safeguard the mental health of the workforce.
The prince’s outing today, his first official engagement of 2025, comes just a day after Kate revealed she is in remission from cancer after making an emotional return to the hospital where she was treated to comfort fellow patients. Kate, in a written personal message following a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea, south-west London, on Tuesday, described her relief and said “there is much to look forward to”. It is the first time Kate has used the word remission to describe where she is in her cancer journey.
The princess said, in her message which was signed C: “It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focussed on recovery. As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. There is much to look forward to. Thank you to everyone for your continued support.”
She also thanked the Royal Marsden for its exceptional care and for “looking after me so well”. “My heartfelt thanks goes to all those who have quietly walked alongside William and me as we have navigated everything. We couldn’t have asked for me,” the princess added.
