Prince William, Kate fine after plane aborts landing twice

Britain's Prince William (L), Duke of Cambridge and his wife Catherine (R), Duchess of Cambridge, walks on their arrival at the Kalash tribe village in Bumburate Valley in Pakistan's northern Chitral District. Pic/AFP

Islamabad: Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton's plane was forced to abort its landing twice and return to Lahore on Thursday after being caught in a terrifying severe thunderstorm but told reporters travelling with them that they were fine.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) Voyager with the royals, who were on their way back to the UK after a four-day official trip to Pakistan, was forced to abort attempted landings at the Rawalpindi airbase and the Islamabad international airport due to bad weather, reported the Express Tribune.

"Mid-air drama as the RAF Voyager carrying the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had to abandon its landing in Islamabad and return to Lahore due to terrible storms," the Pakistani daily quoted a Royal correspondent. After landing in Lahore, William reassured correspondents travelling with him that he and Kate were fine and even joked that the problems had been caused because he was flying the plane. The Duke of Cambridge has experience working as a search and rescue helicopter pilot.

The Al Arabiya quoted a news agency photographer on board saying that there had been no issues before the plane took off but the flight, which was due to take just 26 minutes, became very turbulent as they attempted to land.

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The flight that was meant to be completed in 30 minutes eventually took more than two hours and the photographer described it as the most turbulent flights he had ever been on in 25 years of regular flying, the publication said.

Earlier in the day, the Royal Couple visited the Badshahi Masjid in Lahore. They had visited a SOS village and even played a couple of balls at the National Cricket Academy along a host of cricketing stars and visited a cancer hospital. The couple became the first royals to officially visit Pakistan since Prince Charles and his wife Camilla visited the south Asian country in 2006.

While in Pakistan visit the royal couple was accompanied by Thomas Drew, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Simon Case, the Principal Private Secretary to the Duke, and Christian Jones, the Communications Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The visit was organised at the request of the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

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