Prince William begins duties at Malvinas base

Prince William began the first duties of his "search and rescue" mission today in the Malvinas as he prepped for the first sortie with his crew, the British Ministry of Defence said in a communiqué. William was sent to the islands on a 6-week deployment where he will operate as a Sea King co-pilot.

Flight Lieutenant William Wales, as he is known within the Royal Air Force, was beginning preparations this morning with his crew, for the first sortie of their six-week deployment to the Malvinas islands.

The 29-year-old Royal Air Force pilot, second in-line to the British thrown, was sent to the Malvinas islands as part of a routine exercise , the UK Defence Ministry reiterated yesterday.

The deployment of the Prince of Wales to the Malvinas islands comes during a political rift between the UK and Argentine governments over the sovereignty of the islands. In addition, the 30th anniversary of the Malvinas war is takes place this year.