Prince William Tries To Rescue Drowning Teenager, Flies Emergency Plane

Prince William performed an act of valor when he rushed to save a drowning teen in Lee Valley Park yesterday. The Duke of Cambridge flew an air ambulance over the scene of the accident in a gallant attempt to rescue the boy. Sadly, after an hour-long search and rescue, the teenager was proclaimed dead on the spot.

The Telegraph reported that the victim, identified as 17-year-old Robbie Lea, was swimming in a lake at the Lee Valley Park in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire during the “hottest day of the year.” According to Lea’s friends, he had gone to the park to river jump and enjoy the day. Although swimming is said to be prohibited within the county park, the activity was a casual thing for the teens as they claimed they had “all done it before.”

“Stuff like this happens, he wasn’t doing anything stupid I think he was just having a good time, it was a hot day and he obviously wanted to cool down he has not realised the danger.”

Prince William was among the responders who immediately came to the scene after emergency services in the area were alerted. The Royal is an official pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. At around 7:45 p.m., Prince William arrived at the scene in a helicopter with only a co-pilot and no bodyguards, witnesses said.

“We knew something was up when a helicopter was flying extremely low just over the Lee Valley Park. We could see it was landing so ran over to see what was going on. Little did we expect to see Prince William himself flying the helicopter.”

Prince William flies air ambulance to try to save teenager who drowned on hottest day of the year pic.twitter.com/IffIfVjoxw

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 26, 2017

The emergency team included two helicopters and rescuers on boats. After an hour-long search, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue confirmed that Lea’s body was found, but was unresponsive. He was proclaimed “dead at the scene.”

Chief Fire Officer Darryl Keen warned the public of the dangers of swimming in “unsupervised areas,” especially now that it’s summer.

“Even the strongest swimmer can get into difficulties and we would advise people to think carefully before swimming in unsupervised areas and look out for signs and advice about the specific dangers at the location where you are swimming.”

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge is a trained military officer. In 2009, he joined the Royal Air Force as a flight lieutenant. In 2014, he took on a full-time post in the East Anglian Air Ambulance as emergency pilot and responder.

Meanwhile, Prince William has also expressed his concern and support for the victims of another tragedy that hit home, the Manchester terrorist attack. The second-in-line to the throne released an official statement via Kensington Palace, on behalf of his wife Kate Middleton and younger brother Prince Harry.

“Like everyone, Catherine, Harry and I are left shocked and saddened by the tragedy that unfolded in Manchester overnight. Hundreds of friends, parents, children, and partners are confronting unimaginable grief today, and we send our thoughts to them all. We also send our thanks to the people of Manchester for their display of strength, decency, and community that is an example to the world.”

The Manchester tragedy is the latest terrorist attack that hit England. A bomb exploded after Ariana Grande’s concert on May 22, resulting in at least 22 people dead and almost 60 injured.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles have also responded to the act of terror in their respective official statements. Writing on the Royal Family’s official website, the Queen praised her countrymen and emergency officers for their “humanity and compassion.”

Queen Elizabeth also took the time to visit victims at the Royal Manchester’s Children’s Hospital yesterday, according to the Telegraph. She was heard describing the attack to a young victim as “dreadful” and “very wicked.”

[Featured Image by Stefan Rousseau WPA – Pool/Getty Images]