London: Prince William has returned to
Britain from the Falkland Islands following his tour of duty
as a military search and rescue helicopter pilot, officials
said on Wednesday.
"He has returned from a standard operational deployment,"
a Ministry of Defence spokesman said, after the second in
line to the throne completed the near seven-week stint which
angered Argentina.
"He will now be on leave for a few days and then he will
return to work."
The 29-year-old was sent to the South Atlantic
archipelago as a routine part of his duties as an Royal Air
Force (RAF) Sea King helicopter pilot.
But his stint on the barren islands enraged Buenos Aires,
which claims the Falklands are occupied Argentine territory
and condemned the prince's tour as a "provocation".
William, the eldest son of heir to the throne Prince
Charles, arrived in the British overseas territory on February
2.
The timing of the deployment added to tensions ahead of
the 30th anniversary of the war between Britain and Argentina
over the Falklands. (AFP)
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 21:02