Yahoo Finance How Prince William Helped Secure Safe Passage for Afghan Officer and Family
ANDREW MILLIGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Prince William
Prince William stepped in to help ensure an Afghan army officer and his family were able to leave Kabul in the exodus following the Taliban takeover.
William is understood to have known the man — who has not been named — after training alongside him at Sandhurst Military Academy in 2006.
When he heard of the man's plight amid the anxious residents hoping to get to, and through, Kabul airport before the withdrawal of the American and allied forces, William moved to help, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.
He asked his equerry, naval officer Lt. Commander Rob Dixon, to contact the troops on the ground to alert the rescuers. Officers and commandoes from 2 Para, 16 Air Assault Brigade who were working on the evacuation were told of William's intervention, it was reported.
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
The Telegraph said the Afghan officer had been a key part of the British military operation in Afghanistan. "His position meant his family group of more than 10, comprising several women and children, would have been particularly vulnerable," the paper reported.
William graduates from Sandhurst; Justin Goff/UK Press/Getty Prince William at Sandhurst
William was not alone in intervening where he could. General Sir Richard Barrons, former commander Joint Forces Command, told the Telegraph that other British veterans had stepped in to highlight the cases of Afghan ex-comrades in the country who were also at risk from reprisals from the Taliban. "We all did that. In some cases, the Government knew about them, in some cases they didn't," he said.
William was at Sandhurst from January 2006 until his graduation in December that year (an event watched by then-girlfriend Kate Middleton). After training, William served in the army before he made a longer career in the RAF, ultimately working as a Search and Rescue pilot off the coast of North Wales.
