© Kevin Alderman 2009
6th July 2009
Prince William joined teenagers for a team-building exercise at the Tower of London today.
On the South Lawn, in the shadow of the White Tower, Prince William stepped along a strip of wood on to a block as part of a "command task" for the charity Skill Force as he and seven youngsters tried to make their way across an imaginary fast-flowing river.
Prince William is Patron of Skill Force, a national charity which works across England, Scotland and Wales to prevent young people becoming needlessly left behind in education.
The organisation uses the talents of former Service Personnel and others, to deliver inspirational and motivational activities, known as “preventative intervention programmes” to about 9,500 young people each year.
Helping out the youngsters with suggestions, The Prince held a plank in the air as the youngsters worked out how to solve the practical problem they were set.
Those taking part are taught life skills from former members of the Armed Forces.
Prince William took part in the same exercise while training at Sandhurst and guided the teenagers along.
They were asked to use two planks, a piece of rope and three large blocks which represented the remains of a bridge to cross an imaginary raging river, with only three people standing on one block at a time.
Afterwards, Prince William and the pupils sat on the blocks and wood for a debrief known as a "hot wash up" before chatting to the youngsters, staff and supporters at a reception.
Later one of the youngsters, Hollie Kavanagh, 15, said: "He was really chilled out. We thought he was going to be proper posh posh, but he wasn't."
Joe Boulton, also 15, added: "He talked to us like he was one of us – no swearing, but he was polite."
At the reception, The Prince picked up a jug and poured out glasses of blackcurrant squash for the teenagers.
Frankie O'Flaherty, 15, one of those who was served by The Prince, said: "It was VIP treatment."
Olympic silver medal-winning swimmer Keri-Anne Payne, who was helping out as a Skill Force instructor today, said of The Prince: "He got stuck in with the kids. They were all saying 'Come on, get on with it'.
"He was asking all sorts of things, about their families and what they did outside of school. It was awesome."
The second-in-line to the throne, who is training to be a Search and Rescue pilot with the RAF, was greeted by crowds of onlookers and afterwards shook hands with scores of tourists.
"There's shed-loads of people," he remarked with surprise as he emerged from the regimental headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers on the site to greet them.