Sub-Lt Wales wins praise for leadership skills on Montserrat mission

July 10, 2008Jul 10, 2008, 11:00 PM GMT+1

Click here to watch our footage of William during the exercise

Following their successful drugs raid off Barbados, Prince William and his fellow officers on HMS Iron Duke have been on the Caribbean island of Montserrat on a disaster relief drill.

The second in line to the throne - who was highly lauded for his part in the earlier operation to seize £40 million worth of cocaine – assisted in a simulated exercise to aid the island, one of the UK's 14 oversees territories, in the event of a category-five hurricane.

Wills took part in a strategy meeting where it was presented that a hurricane had caused the collapse of the dome on top of the island's active Soufriere Hills volcano. He then lead a team ashore to stretcher 'victims' to safety.

Afterwards Sub Lieutenant Wales, as he's known during his two-month attachment to the service, won further praise from his superiors.

"What you have is an officer who understands a military context," said the ship's captain, Commander Mark Newland. "(He) integrates very quickly into teams, whether it be at the command level or the very low tactical level." "Being sent away with a small group to lead and conduct a particular task - that, to him, is second nature," added the officer.

Wills, an officer with the Household Cavalry, is on attachment to the Royal Navy. As part of his training he's been in the Caribbean participating in a drill to assist islanders in the event of a volcano erupting Photo: © Getty Images

The Prince's deployment in Montserrat follows a successful operation to seize a haul of drugs in Barbados Photo: © Getty Images

Mission completed, Sub-Lt Wales and his colleagues head back to HMS Iron Duke, on which he's based for five weeks Photo: © Getty Images

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