Regular readers will remember that following the decision to outsource the RAF’s Search and Rescue service to a French-Canadian organization, Royal Anecdotes put in an information request to the Ministry of Defence to clarify Prince William’s position as a dedicated Sea King pilot in the service.

I have now received a reply from Headquarters Air Command, Royal Air Force in Buckinghamshire regarding the “phasing out of the Sea King operations”. The reply is as follows:

“As announced by the MOD in February 2010, Soteria Consortium has been chosen as the preferred bidder to provide the Search and Rescue Helicopter service for the UK. The contract is expected to be finalised in late 2010, at which point a detailed timetable of change will be decided. Presently, the service is anticipated to begin with a phased introduction in 2012 and will progressively take over site by site. The Sea King is expected to be out of service by 2016.

“Prince William hopes to qualify as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot in summer 2010. Once qualified, the Prince will become a full-time RAF Search and Rescue pilot. The normal tour length for a Search and Rescue pilot is 30-36 months, which would take Prince William to late 2012 or 2013.

“It would be inappropriate to speculate on the future of Prince William’s career until the contract replacing the MOD Search and Rescue Helicopter service has been finalised.”

So there we have it. William could serve into 2013, although it does seem unlikely given the uncertainty over the service. The last paragraph highlights that point.

When this story first broke earlier this year, the Conservative Defence Spokesman, Liam Fox, complained that this decision should have been taken after a General Election, probably due on May 6. That suggests he might have reservations over the outsourcing, or the proposed foreign contractor. I will write to Dr Fox asking for details of Conservative policy on this matter.

It now looks as if William’s normal career flow within SAR won’t be altered because of the current arrangements, especially if, as expected, the Conservatives win the election. However, the uncertainty involved may give him an opportunity to bail out before his time is up.

It has been announced in the South West of England tonight that the Search and Rescue operations at RAF Chivenor, covering North Cornwall and North Devon, are to be phased out during nighttime hours as a money-saving exercise.

A Sea King helicopter used by RAF Search and Rescue

The slack will be taken up by bases in Barry, South Wales and RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall.

Further down the line, it’s understood that RAF Sea King flights will be replaced by private services from 2012.

Prince William has just graduated as a Sea King Search and Rescue pilot and is currently undergoing further training in Anglesey, North Wales prior to taking up full operational duties.

The question he must be asking is quite where he will fit into an operation that is rapidly being scaled down and privatized. It is unthinkable that the MoD has not factored his role into their plans.

Could it be that he has made a bad career move and, like many ordinary people across the land, will find himself stranded without a job?

His brother, Prince Harry, is currently training to be an attack helicopter pilot with the Army and hopes to serve again in Afghanistan at some point in the future. It looks as if he, at least, has some job security.

Will these circumstances free William to take up his Royal role earlier than predicted, perhaps before the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations in 2012?

And what of an early marriage?

What are Prince William’s motives for choosing the RAF over Kate Middleton?

Whichever way you look at it his motivation for deciding on four more years in the military is hard to read. The choice is made more puzzling by his apparent sudden change of mind.

Just a few weeks ago William seemed set to spend 2009 learning about constitutional affairs, interspersed with some Royal engagements and other duties. Although it was never explicitly spelled out, most observers had pencilled in a summer wedding with Kate Middleton.

Then, anonymous voices claiming inside knowledge began to put it about that marriage had been postponed for 18 months at least. No reason was given, which made the claims less credible at the time.

Last week the absent bits of the jigsaw puzzle fell into place. William had decided to train for the RAF’s Search and Rescue unit and was intent on becoming a helicopter pilot on active duty around Britain’s shores and wild places.

So what were his motivations, and how does Kate feel about his apparent desertion? The obvious reason is that he enjoys the excitement of service life.

It may also be true that he views marriage as a millstone round his neck. However much he likes being with Kate, it may simply be “the institution, stupid”.

It’s possible that only one of these motives is the real one. Which one would be interesting to know. There’s a lesser probability that both figured in his decision, in which case maybe the French Foreign Legion would be a better choice.

If the first reason is the primary cause of his sudden change of heart, it holds up to the world that he may never be ready to settle down into the boring routine of marriage and Royal duty — at least until he is considerably older.

An even longer life for his grandmother, and an extended reign for his father, might be very welcome to the reluctant Prince.

I’m also beginning to think that Kate may share those views, although not to the extent of being separated from him for the best part of four years.

She may recognize that you have to swallow some bad stuff in order to realize your dreams. As a middle-class female she probably has a better grasp on the realities, like the necessity to compromise a little and settle for what you get.

William, though, as a Prince born to greatness and worldwide fame, may just believe he can have it all without any diversions down unwanted paths and alleyways.

There’s a disconnect somewhere here. Let’s hope neither of the two personalities in this affair gets hopelessly hurt.

It may be that a Christmas announcement is still in the schedule for a May or June wedding next year. In which case the trajectory remains intact. But some sources are warning this is not so, and normal life has been postponed in the foreseeable future.

Since the future of the Monarchy rests on their shoulders, it would be of great assistance if someone known and credible explained the reasons behind this radical change of tack to the great British public.

In a surprise announcement from Clarence House this morning, it has emerged that Prince William will not leave the military next year to become a full-time working Royal.

Prince William preparing for a flying mission

He will instead leave the Army and become a full-time member of the RAF’s Air, Sea Search and Rescue team, flying Sea King helicopters.

We understand he will serve for a minimum 30-36-month period, plus 18 months of training, totalling more than four years. He will be 30 or 31 when he finally hangs up his sword.

The work will involve hazardous rescue operations, winching people to safety from cliffs, ships and open seas in all weathers.

In a statement, Prince William said, “It has been a real privilege to have spent the past year understanding and experiencing all aspects of the British Armed Forces.

“I now want to build on the experience and training I have received to serve operationally — especially because, for good reasons, I was not able to deploy to Afghanistan this year with D Squadron of the Household Cavalry Regiment. The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realize how much I love flying.

“Joining Search and Rescue is a perfect opportunity for me to serve in the Forces operationally, while contributing to a vital part of the country’s emergency services.”

In the next few weeks he will become the first member of the Royal Family to train with the elite special forces regiment, the SAS. He will also spend time with the Special Boat Squadron, the sister regiment of the SAS, and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment.

It’s obvious that Prince William is not yet ready to resume civilian life and cut the chord with the military. Like Prince Harry he enjoys the rough and tumble of serving with the Armed Forces, but is frustrated he’s not able to join his regiment on the front lines of the two wars they are fighting.

The Air Sea Rescue mission seems an ideal — if hazardous — alternative.

The question of his marriage therefore hangs in the balance. A training period of 18 months accords with several broad hints released to the press that he won’t be marrying for that length of time.

However, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility for him to take a month’s leave from training next summer to accommodate a wedding and honeymoon.

Since Air-Sea Rescue is British-based, Kate could easily live with him in married quarters, whether in Cornwall or Scotland. In those circumstances, nobody could accuse the second-tier Wales’s of shirking their duty to the nation.

Otherwise, the prospect of a wedding mid-2010 is the next window of opportunity, with a very distant date at the end of his service as the last resort. I can’t believe Kate would be willing to wait that long.

Of course, the 18-months line may just have been spun to divert attention from a Christmas announcement.

As always, we shall have to wait and see.