Well, it’s official. Prince William has officially started working full-time in the civilian world. Monday, March 30th was his first day with Bond Air Services. In February, his office announced that he had “passed” all 14 exams needed to become a commercial pilot. Originally, William was supposed to begin work around now, then they said he would start in the summer, but then they revised it back to the spring (perhaps they were concerned about William passing his exams). So now William is the first direct heir to the throne to have a real-person peasant job.

Prince William officially started his job in the civilian world Monday, as he reported for his first day of training to become an air ambulance helicopter pilot. He began work with Bond Air Services, who will be employing him as he flies helicopters for East Anglia Air Ambulance. William, 32, will be mainly based at the company’s headquarters at Staverton, Gloucestershire, for training as well as two airfields in Norwich and Cambridge. On Monday he was understood to be in Norwich.

Despite continuing with royal duties, working as an air ambulance pilot will be William’s primary occupation, according to Kensington Palace. And when he is in the area and – especially once he starts flying in the skies above East Anglia – William, Princess Kate, son Prince George, 20 months, and their new baby, due in April, will largely live at their country home Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

William is the first immediate heir in the modern world to have had a job outside the military or royal world. Over the next 12 weeks he will undertake training including time on a flight simulator, courses in paramedic air flying, night vision work and eventually training on the EC145 helicopter. He is expected to start flying in early summer.

The palace says William will continue with his royal duties, at a similar rate as he has been doing in recent years when he juggled some public engagements and tours with his life as a helicopter search and rescue pilot in the Royal Air Force in Wales. That means he will continue performing investitures for Queen Elizabeth II, taking tours and supporting both his charities and the foundation that he shares with his wife Kate and brother Prince Harry.

[From People]

I wonder if his Bond Air Services bosses know that William is probably going to take his full paternity leave starting in… oh, probably three weeks or so. That would concern a regular person starting a new job, but for William, it seems like he lives his life oblivious to how everyone bends over backwards to suit his needs and desires.

Shall we start the betting process on how long it takes for William to get bored with his job? I say by December 2016, he will have quit or he’ll be in the process of leaving. That’s right, I’m giving him a whole year and a half. I think he’ll be bored in six months, he’ll stick it out for a year and by next summer, “sources” will be telling the UK papers that William is exploring some other options. And that’s what I keep saying about William’s Peter Pan Syndrome – first the military and now a private air ambulance company spends hundreds of thousands of dollars/pounds on William’s training only to have him flake out after a year or two. It just doesn’t seem worth it.

Also not worth it? The millions spent renovating Kensington Palace with the understanding that Will and Kate would make London their homebase. Sorry not sorry, taxpayers.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.