Prince Harry has joined a helicopter club in California.
The Duke of Sussex – who has 16-month-old son Archie with his wife, Duchess Meghan – is qualified as an Apache helicopter commander and has been since 2013 and he is keen to keep his licence up by ensuring he keeps up his flying hours.
A source told The Sun on Sunday’s Fabulous magazine: "Harry has joined a local flying club in California so that he can keep his helicopter licence current. You know you have to do a number of hours per year otherwise your licence won’t be renewed, and that applies in the US as much as it does in the UK."
Whilst a friend of Harry’s added: "He’s very proud of that licence; he worked hard to get first the basic and then the Apache. He’s hardly likely to be recalled for military service in England again but he wants to keep the hours up for personal use, so he and Meghan can just take off for expeditions if they want to. Having your own licence gives you that freedom."
Prince Harry – who, alongside his wife, decided to step back as senior royals earlier this year – recently insisted he would have already returned to visit the UK if it wasn’t for coronavirus.
Speaking to staff and volunteers from the Rugby Football League on video call from his new home in Santa Barbara, he said: "We’ve got a whole Rugby League world cup coming next year. I definitely plan on coming back. I would have been back already had it not been for Covid."
It comes after it was claimed Prince Harry "hated" Los Angeles, and is happier since relocating to Santa Barbara.
A source said: "Meghan visited Montecito in her teens and fell in love with the picturesque scenery and stunning architecture. Moving there was always an option, but to begin with, she and Harry wanted to give Los Angeles a shot. Unfortunately, Harry absolutely hated it – the timing was so wrong amid the [coronavirus] pandemic and they lacked privacy."