The deployment of Prince William is earlier than expected, and comes following Tuesday’s announcement that the Royal Navy will be sending one of its most advanced warships, HMS Dauntless, to the Falklands in mid March, which triggered an immediate reaction from the Argentine Foreign Affairs ministry.
Prince William will be crewing one of two search-and-rescue helicopters on call 24 hours a day for missions flying out of the large Mount Pleasant complex, a 45 minutes drive from Port Stanley and which the British military mounted following the Falklands’ conflict when the Argentine invaded the Islands 2 April 1982.
Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman slammed Prince William’s visit, saying that the heir to the British throne would be arriving to the Malvinas Islands as a member of the armed forces of his country dressing the uniform of “conqueror and not with the wisdom of a statesman that works for peace and dialogue among nations”.
However, the British Ministry of Defence stressed that the mission was routine as the Royal Navy press officer rejected suggestions the decision to send the ultra-modern destroyer HMS Dauntless to the region represented an escalation of the UK’s position. (mercosur)