Prince William Earns His Wings
Britain's 25-year-old Prince William, already a second lieutenant in the British Army, gained a new uniform Friday; he is now also to be known as Flying Officer Wales after earning his Royal Air Force wings, reports CBS News correspondent Richard Roth.
In a ceremony north of London at the Royal Air Force College at Cranwell - called the first military air academy in the world and celebrating its 90th anniversary this week - the RAF's newest cadre of pilots received their wings.
Prince William had been learning to fly for four months at Cranwell. Senior officers guided him through a custom-tailored, shortened version of a flight training program that takes normal Air Force enlistees as long as four years to complete.
He's had experience flying helicopters as well as fixed-wing aircraft, and while the training did earn him the coveted wings for his uniform, it hardly qualified him as a fighter pilot.
Photos: Wills Wings It
William's own father, Prince Charles, who earned his wings at Cranwell 37 years ago, pinned the badge onto his son's chest in the Friday ceremony.
Prince William, third in line to the English throne, has another few weeks of training with the RAF before he switches hats once more, for a stint in the Royal Navy.