William and Kate meet forces serving overseas over Christmas

Prince William and Kate arrived at RAF Akrotiri this afternoon on a special ' Royal Mail ' flight loaded with gifts and cards from relatives, as they praised the men and women for doing their work "without fanfare".

The proud parents chatted happily about their children, with William telling pilots: 'I told George this morning we were going to see the pilots today, and he said "If you see a helicopter can you take a picture?"'

"It's sad we won't be home for Christmas, but to get that personal message from them with the duke and duchess is lovely". And so do your families, some of whom we had the chance to meet yesterday at a party at Kensington Palace.

As artificial snow fell, William chucked artificial snowballs at a children's entertainer, and Kate was caught in the crossfire.

During the brief visit to RAF Akrotiri on the southern coast of Cyprus, William and Kate met with serving personnel, families living on the base and members of the local community. But I can't imagine how it feel when your loved ones are away on active service during Christmas.

At the event, William gave a rousing speech to the troops, saying, "We know this isn't easy for you or your wives, husbands, children and friends back in the United Kingdom but on behalf of everyone at home, we'd like to say a big thank you".

"But on behalf of everyone back home, we would like to say thank you", William said.

Before that, he jokingly offered to step out of frame so Kate could be photographed by herself.

Their daughter Claire O'Grady and her husband Paul, known as Pablo to the family, are both RAF Wing Commanders based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, home to Typhoon squadrons which deploy to Cyprus and fly operations in support of Op Shader, the UK's contribution to the ongoing campaign against Isis. Five-year-old Harry is being looked after for six months by his grandparents.

William and Kate met a boy whose dad is in Cyprus, while his mum posted to Afghanistan.

Recommended News

• 

  06 December 2018

  Did Travis Scott Cheat on Kylie Jenner? Photo Clue

  Not only did he comment on that Instagram post, but he chose to take to his own Instagram story and defend his loyalty even more. Well, it turns out that he did more than just troll the internet, he nearly ended Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner's relationship.
  

  05 December 2018

  Instagram hopes its newest update means you won’t need a ‘finsta’ anymore

  Stein said Instagram wanted to keep things simple and observed that when there are multiple lists, people don't tend to use them. So, you're probably wondering how you'll create the Close Friends' list as well as how you'll share the stories with them alone.
  

  05 December 2018

  3-way tie for lead in Bahamas with Woods at the bottom

  The Spaniard fired a bogey-free 7-under 65 in the final round to close out the week with a 20-under total and a four-shot win. Reed dropped down the leaderboard following a round of 77 that included three bogeys and a double bogey.
• 

  05 December 2018

  Universal Cancer Test: One Test to Diagnose Them All?

  Senior researcher Matt Trau said it had been hard to find a "simple marker" that would distinguish cancer cells from healthy ones. It spots tiny amounts of DNA floating through vessels that could only have come from tumors and not from healthy cells.
  

  05 December 2018

  Priyanka Chopra announces she is Mrs Jonas now with a cute gesture

  Many have called out the writer Mariah Smith and the thoughts she expressed in the article by describing it as misogynistic. Didn't really expect this type of narrative. "Hope you find better things to write about".
  

  05 December 2018

  Gautam Gambhir announces retirement from cricket

  Gambhir was the top-ranked batsman in Test cricket and was named the ICC Test Player of the Year in 2009 . Gambhir played nearly 250 times for his country across all formats, including 58 Tests and 147 ODIs.
• 

  06 December 2018

  FRENCH CONNECTIONS - Who are the 'gilets jaunes' (yellow vest) protesters?

  Earlier, some ministers mentioned a possible minimum-wage increase, although Phillippe did not discuss such a measure. She said each of the disparate protesting groups will decide what to do next, but many will probably keep protesting.
  

  05 December 2018

  XFL To Reveal Teams And Venues At Today's Press Conference

  Oliver Luck, the CEO and Commissioner of the XFL, announced the eight cities in a Wednesday news conference. The football league is the brainchild of World Wrestling Entertainment Chairman Vince McMahon.
  

  05 December 2018

  Rockstar Promises Fixes to Red Dead Online Economy Are Incoming

  We had an inkling this would be the case because it's a persistent beta that's going to eventually transition into the full game. Rockstar has responded to player feedback for Red Dead Online's beta, specifically commenting on fixing the in-game economy.
• 

  06 December 2018

  Ted Baker staff complain of ‘forced hugs’ by company founder

  Ted Baker has not yet responded to CNN's request for comment, but it issued a statement to the UK's Press Association news agency. One said: "I've seen the CEO ask young female members of staff to sit on his knee, cuddle him, or let him massage their ears".
  

  06 December 2018

  Flu season hits MS ; health officials provide recommendations

  Here's what you need to know about the relationship between influenza and heart health, and what you can do to protect yourself. Antiviral drugs may shorten the duration or lessen the severity of the flu if started within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.
  

  05 December 2018

  Wisconsin Senate rejects insurance bill

  After 10 hours of testimony and debate, the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee took its last vote just after midnight Tuesday. The Wisconsin Legislature is preparing to vote on limiting the powers of the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general.