Prince William Celebrates Exciting Milestone for a Cause Close to His Heart: ‘Fantastic News’
Prince William took to social media to kick off the weekend with a piece of good news about a cause close to his heart.
On Aug. 9, William, 42, penned a personal message celebrating London’s Air Ambulance Charity achieving its fundraising goal for two new Airbus H135 helicopters.
“Fantastic news! This is going to have a life-saving impact,” William wrote on X, reposting the initial announcement from the charity he has backed as a patron since 2020.
“A huge thank you to everyone who donated,” he continued, adding a helicopter emoji and signing the post “W.” The heir to the throne and his wife, Kate Middleton, are known to use the initials of their first names as shorthand on social media to indicate that messages are coming directly from them.
Earlier on Aug. 9, London’s Air Ambulance made the announcement that it surpassed its target for the #UpAgainstTime campaign to update its fleet. The charity hoped to hit its $19 million goal by September, according to the appeal, and said it would enable the organization to continue offering around-the-clock care throughout the year.
While onstage giving a speech at February’s gala dinner supporting London’s Air Ambulance, William voiced support for the #UpAgainstTime appeal, specifically to one special guest — Tom Cruise!
“I should also take this opportunity to give a mention to my — our — fellow pilot, Tom Cruise,” William said in his remarks. “Tom, huge thanks for supporting us tonight. And Tom, if you wouldn’t mind not borrowing either of the new helicopters for the next Mission Impossible, it would be appreciated. We have all seen on our screens that, how can I put it, you seem to have a different take on ‘normal wear and tear’ to the rest of us. It’s not the kind that buffs out,” he joked about the actor’s stunts.
William has previously connected with Cruise on several occasions, most recently at the London premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in May 2022 alongside Princess Kate.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are enjoying the remaining days of their children’s summer break from school before Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis head back to school early next month. It continues to be a summer of recovery for Kate, who is continuing treatment for cancer.
“Being with her family and just being herself will give her energy,” a palace insider previously told PEOPLE. “There will be plenty of time to focus on her recovery.”