David Beckham has reunited with Prince William during a surprise reunion today.
The England footballing legend supported the prince at RAF Northolt to mark the end of the London Air Ambulance’s ‘Up Against Time’ appeal that has raised £16m for two new helicopters.
The two men were all smiles as they greeted each other during today’s event in West London and even signed one of the new helicopters.
William asked David to be part of the Omaze campaign for the appeal which helped raise £4 million for the charity’s cause.
The scheme was launched in 2021 after it became clear that the London Air Ambulance Charity’s MD902 helicopters would be out of service within a matter of years, which would have severely affected the outcomes of thousands of patients every year.
The two new H135 helicopters will ensure the medical team can continue to provide their vital services across London.
Back in June, the football legend, who’s also a LAAC ambassador, supported Omaze’s London House Draw to help raise funds for the charity.
David said at the time: “As a proud Londoner I know how vital London’s Air Ambulance Charity is. When a patient is critically injured in the capital they don’t have time to get to hospital.
“But London’s Air Ambulance can deliver expert medics to perform emergency surgery anywhere in the city within minutes. Now they need our support to reach their target to replace their two helicopters and make sure they can keep flying to save lives across London.
“I hope that people respond to this campaign so that everyone in our city knows that London’s Air Ambulance will be there if they need them.”
The draw winner received a £5million luxury house in East London and £250,000 in cash.
The heir to the throne, who is patron of London’s Air Ambulance Charity, headed to RAF Northolt today to view the new helicopters and meet pilots and medical crew, who told him about how the aircraft will positively impact their roles.
He also met Airbus engineers who were involved in the creation and development of the new helicopters.
William was also set to join one of the helicopter’s first flights but it was cancelled due to the bad weather.
London’s Air Ambulance Charity was established in 1989 following a growing consensus of opinion that victims of serious accidents were dying because of the delay in expert medical help reaching them, and the time it took to transport patients to hospital.
The service pioneered the doctor-on-board model for air ambulances and aims to bring the hospital emergency department to the scene of an incident.
It comes just hours after Prince Harry made a brief appearance in London for the WellChild Awards. The Duke of Sussex was all smiles as he stepped out for his seventh visit in as many days with wife Meghan Markle at home in Montecito, California.