Sparing Prince William the long flight back to Britain from the Caribbean only to fly back again for their August break, Kate Middleton has already flown the 6000 miles to their holiday spot, thought to be the island of Mustique.

Prince William and Kate Middleton at his Wings ceremony

A friend is said to have revealed, “Kate has missed him massively. She will be hoping her sailor has a little energy left in the tank for her. … She is desperate to see William and has been counting the days.”

A source close to William said, “As soon as he steps off the ship, he’ll be determined to change gear and put his feet up with Kate. They both agreed it was a perfect plan to enjoy two weeks together at their favourite spot.”

William’s deployment aboard the drugbuster HMS Iron Duke was action-packed from the start. Within days he was involved in an operation with U.S. Coastguards to apprehend cocaine smugglers off Barbados. Some £40m ($80m) of the drug was said to have been recovered from the armed bootleggers.

Following a major simulation exercise to practise the evacuation of an entire island threatened by a hurricane, he was again plunged into another successful drugs bust at sea. It was reported that Prince William is to receive a medal from the American Coastguard for his role in the first operation.

It is surely significant that after such an exhausting tour of duty, all he wants to do is spend two weeks alone with Kate in a remote holiday hideaway.

He will have a further week’s leave in London on their return and speculation is already beginning on the possibility of an engagement announcement. It would certainly clear the decks for action — something the Prince should be used to now.

Prince William is getting rave reviews from his commanding officer while serving a five-week placement with the Royal Navy in the Caribbean.

Prince William in Monserrat on hurricane relief duty

The Ministry of Defence in London said today that the Prince flew by helicopter from HMS Iron Duke to the island of Montserrat to help test the Navy’s response to a 155-mile-per-hour hurricane that could leave hundreds dead and injured, while destroying 95pc of the buildings.

William joined senior officers and local leaders directing 170 people on board the ship. He also took part in a coach crash exercise before returning to the frigate by boat.

Iron Duke Captain Commander Mark Newland said that William Wales, as the Prince is known, is a natural leader. “Sub-Lieutenant Wales, as part of his remit on board, has been involved in the planning from the outset, and that’s primarily in developing a plan and understanding of the nature of the infrastructure on Montserrat.

“With [him], it’s reasonably easy — what you have is an Army officer who understands a military context. He understands instinctively the business of command and where his teams fit in there.

“What I have seen is his ability to integrate very quickly into teams, whether it be at the command level or the very low tactical level. Being sent away with a small group to lead and conduct a particular task — that, to him, is second nature.”

There were recent reports that William has been awarded a service medal by the U.S. Coastguard for his part in the capture of £40m ($80m) of cocaine from drug smugglers during the hurricane season.

It looks like he will return home on August 1 covered in glory. No-one can claim he hasn’t served on the front line — at least in peacetime.

Just coming in over the wires :

Prince William’s ship HMS Iron Duke has intercepted a reported £40m ($80m) consignment of cocaine during its anti-drug-smuggling patrols in the Atlantic near Barbados.

In a joint-operation with the U.S. Coastguard, the frigate caught an ocean-going speedboat presumed bound for Europe or West Africa. It’s known that the Navy wants William to play a full part in these operations.

Kate Middleton will be pleased to hear her boyfriend is in the thick of things.

The British Commanding Officer Mark Newland said, “This is a fantastic start to HMS Iron Duke’s North Atlantic deployment. To have had a direct impact on the flow of cocaine into Europe just four days after we arrived in theatre shows the benefit the Royal Navy can have in the area of maritime security and counter drug operations. From the first moment the Lynx helicopter discovered the suspect vessel, my ship’s company, working hand in glove with our U.S. Coast Guard colleagues, turned this opportunity into a certainty and ultimately a successful seizure.”

Interesting that the latest figures show £40m is the annual cost of the Monarchy. Clearly, the Prince is doing his bit to pay that off.

£100 cocktails all round at Boujis tonight.

It’s yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum for our sailor Prince as William takes up his two month secondment with the Royal Navy. Let’s hope the title line of that song doesn’t apply too often.

Following his training period at the Britannia Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, the Prince will join HMS Iron Duke on drugs patrol in the Caribbean.

Full details of the deployment can be found here in the Clarence House briefing.

The RN stint ends in August when he will take a break before rejoining his Army regiment until January. He may be assigned to other duties during this period, since four months in Windsor Barracks would be something of an anticlimax after all that has gone before.

There’s much speculation about the crucial August break in the context of his relationship with Kate Middleton. Readers of Royal Anecdotes will be aware of what that is. We are saying nothing.