Locked Prince William photos slip-up forces MoD to change passwords

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MoD resets usernames and passwords of some RAF staff after information was visible on computer screens in PR shots

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Prince William on duty at RAF Valley. Photograph: SAC Faye Storer/MoD/PA

 

As a royal PR initiative it was meant to highlight

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role as a search and rescue pilot and publicise a new

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dedicated to the public life of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

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Alas, there were red faces at the

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and St James's Palace after pictures of Flight Lieutenant Wales, as he is known at work, were launched on the website showing sensitive information in the background.

 

It swiftly became apparent that in some of the 10 pictures, taken by an MoD photographer at RAF Valley, in Anglesey, north Wales, where the prince is based, information was visible on computer screens captured in the shots.

 

But by then the pictures were already up on the royal site, and had been distributed to and appeared on many news websites

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The photographs, which included those of the prince sitting at a computer with a document on his desk, and another of him attending a briefing, had to be replaced and new versions launched with sensitive details pixelated out.

 

As a precaution, the MoD has been forced to reset the user names and passwords of some RAF staff on its internal system.

 

A St James's Palace spokeswoman said four of the photographs had to be taken down and had been replaced on the

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She added that the the pictures had been supplied by RAF Valley. "Any security issues are a matter for the MoD," she said.

 

In a statement, an MoD spokesman said: "A number of photographs of Flight Lieutenant Wales were taken while on duty working as a helicopter search and rescue pilot at RAF Valley on Anglesey, Wales. The passwords and user names shown have now been reset as a precaution and we are satisfied the images do not contravene security regulations.

 

"All the photos have been now amended and reissued. Media organisations are kindly asked to use these images".

 

The photographs show the prince getting the teas in and making up his bed in the sparsely furnished bunkroom at the base where he is an on-call RAF search and rescue (SAR) Sea King helicopter pilot.

 

Away from red carpet duties, the 30-year-old's life is spent in "readiness state", working 24-hour shifts where he must be no more than 60 seconds away from his helicopter at any time.

 

The pictures have been released on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's website, which will promote their public life and is further evidence of the couple's augmented role as "working royals" taking on a larger share of the royal diary.

 

According to the website: "SAR aircrews expect to fly into conditions from which others are fleeing, meaning they often find themselves flying in gales or through clouds, driving rain and poor visibility".

 

Certainly, in the photographs entitled "a typical day", rain is much in evidence as the prince is seen carrying out pre-flight checks on his helicopter. Wall art adorning the spartan bunkroom where he sleeps while on call appears to be of a satellite photograph of yet more weather of the type he has undoubtedly become accustomed to during his north Wales stint.

 

Downtime is spent playing computer games, with those favoured usually having a military theme, such as Call of Duty, the MoD explains. In the base's canteen, the health-conscious prince is seen sharing a meal with his crew – eschewing the chips favoured by his colleague in favour of salad, it would seem.

 

William has been based on Anglesey since starting his training in January 2009, and graduated as a fully operational search and rescue pilot in September 2010. He qualified to take command of a Sea King mark 3 this year.

 

During his time there he has been involved in many dramatic rescues, details of some of which have leaked to the media. The most recent to have made headlines was his team's rescue of a 16-year-old girl in August, who had been swept out to sea in Silver Bay, Anglesey. It took the prince and his crew just 38 seconds from receiving the call to reach her.

 

Speculation is mounting, however, that the prince will shortly leave his RAF role to take on the mantle of full-time royal engagements. The duke and duchess and Prince Harry will now have their own private office, funded by the Prince of Wales. It will move from St James's Palace, where it shares space with Charles's private office, to Kensington Palace this month. The duke and duchess will, eventually, take over the Kensington Palace apartment that used to be occupied by Princess Margaret.

 

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