Prince William heads back to work

Prince William and his newlywed wife Catherine were expected to head back to their secluded island home yesterday following a secret weekend break in Britain.

The new duke and duchess of Cambridge were expected to return to Anglesey, northwest Wales, where Prince William is going straight back to work this week as a search and rescue helicopter pilot with the Royal Air Force.

Their fairytale wedding on Friday was watched by an estimated one million people on the streets of London and two billion on television around the world.

“The chances are if he’s back at work on Tuesday (today) he’ll be getting in to Anglesey on Monday evening,” a Ministry of Defence spokesman said.

“It will be a normal day at work for him after the wedding, nothing special planned.”

Like Friday, yesterday was a public holiday in Britain, making for an extra-long weekend.

Prince William’s colleagues at RAF Valley on Anglesey were in action on the wedding day, airlifting to hospital a 12-year-old boy who was rescued by a lifeboat crew after drifting a mile out to sea in a rubber ring.

The newlyweds spent the weekend at a private location, having flown out of Buckingham Palace by helicopter on Saturday.

The couple chose not to depart immediately for their honeymoon – details of which will not be announced in advance – though royal officials have said it will be abroad.

The newlyweds “planned the honeymoon together”, said a spokesman for Clarence House, the office of Prince William’s father Prince Charles.

While Prince William gets back to work in Wales, London is still abuzz with royal wedding fever.

Three-hour queues to get into the Westminster Abbey wedding venue stretched around the block, with well-wishers keen to get a glimpse before it is reconfigured back to normal.

Jane Thompson travelled from Windsor, west of London for a look around the historic church, which costs £16 (€18) to enter.