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Prince to pauper: Future King of England to lose job after US firm takes over UK search and rescue

BRITAIN’s search-and-rescue helicopter service — which employs Prince William — is being taken over by an American company, the government announced today.

The award of the £1.6billion deal to Bristow Helicopters ends 70 years of a service run by RAF and Royal Navy squadrons.

It also spells the end of the use of the iconic Sea King choppers — flown by the Duke of Cambridge — in search-and-rescue work from 2016.

The future of current service air and ground crews — including William — is uncertain. Some are expected to apply to join the new private service but there are fears jobs could be lost.

The 30-year-old prince, the future Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, is a Flight Lieutenant based at RAF Valley on Anglesey in North Wales, from where he commands missions to help stranded climbers and stricken vessels in the area.

Read more ath The Sun.