Aye, Aye Captain! Princes salute the city

Beginning with the roar of three Eurofighter Typhoon jets, the City Salute was off to a tremendous start. Prince William and Prince Harry, both patrons of City Salute Appeal, were present for tonight's event which involved a second fly-past conducted by two Chinook helicopters, before march pasts by the three services.

Prince William became the center of attention when Top Gear presenter Mr. Clarkson made a few jokes about his recent helicopter fiasco, saying "It takes a special kind of courage to fly one of those things [a Chinook], I think, into a firefight. It's a bit of a lumbering tank - not exactly hard to miss. You can't even land one on the Isle of Wight without the newspapers finding out."

Tonight's event was aimed to benefit two charities, Help for Heroes and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA). Help for Heroes has planned a new rehabilitation center, including a swimming pool and gym complex at Headley Court, and SSAFA will set up and run homes for the families of injured personnel at both Headley Court and a second center near Birmingham.

It has been reported that Prince William and Prince Harry helped to raise £850,000 for the two charities.

Royal Forum