British royal Prince William is to save lives when he returns to work next spring (15) as a pilot for an air ambulance rescue team.

The Duke of Cambridge will fly both day and night shifts to help victims of serious accidents and medical emergencies, although his work rota will take into account his royal duties, and his salary will be donated in full to the East Anglia Air Ambulance service.

Prince William will be based at Cambridge Airport and will fly missions in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Bedfordshire in the east of England.

He previously worked as a Royal Air Force (RAF) search and rescue pilot, but his active service ended last September (13).

The charity's medical director Alistair Wilson says, "He will be looking after patients with conditions that would be horrifying for many and some pilots may not like that very much."

A Kensington Palace spokesperson adds, "The duke sees this as a true form of public service, helping people in their most difficult times. He regards his work with the RAF search and rescue force as having been an exceptional privilege and the duke wanted to make his own contribution to the outstanding work of the air ambulance service."