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Air-sea rescue prompts rumour of a royal visitor

Sat, 02 Apr 2011

An RAF rescue helicopter landed at Noble's Hospital this evening.

The helicopter from RAF Valley in Anglesey was called out after a crewman from a scallop boat took ill.

The scalloper was 30 miles south west of the Isle of Man at the time of the onboard emergency.

There are no details of the man's condition.

The rescue was coordinated by Liverpool Coastguard.

The helicopter landed at Noble's at around 6.20pm.

The police presence in the area prompted speculation that Prince William was one of the crew on the Sea King.

However, the Island's Marine Operations Centre in Douglas says it's routine for the police and fire brigade to meet all rescue helicopters landing at Noble's.

Often when resources allow, police close off public access to the hospital grounds for the privacy of the patient.   

Prince William is a search and rescue pilot based at RAF Valley, so whether or not he was one the crewmen today, there's a distinct possibility that one day he will be onboard one of the rescue helicopters that land on the Island.  

   

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