Do you know anyone else who's retired as young as Will pilot?

RAF recruits are usually asked to join for between six and twelve years. William transferred his commission to the RAF in 2009 ..so he`s done the 6 years that were required of him

Wills and brother are hobby pilots at the expense of the public and serious career pilots.

Despite the fact they are accompanied by professional pilots I cannot understand why they were permitted to fly helis, the most dangerous form of flight.

It is a good thing he is 'retiring', if he flew long enough there is a possibility he would make a mistake like his father did landing a 146 - a helicopter is not so forgiving.

So now the country is represented by: Queen & Phil - Charles & Cammy - Wills & Kate plus a few other members from time to time. (sometimes with much embarrassment)

Someone should point out the empire has gone - the country is on its knees - the tide is turning.

All modern day pilots retire relatively young, it is a young man's occupation. My vile sister retired soon after leaving school.

I know plenty of people who've left the military as young as he is. It's common to put in a certain number of years and then to leave for civilian life. Such people don't normally retire entirely from any sort of work, and William isn't doing that either, as you well know.

He's leaving because he's expected to start full-time royal life. The Queen will be doing less and less; the other senior royals have to do more. It's that simple.

It helps if you have a large fortune behind you,and if he wants to save endangered animals,that's all very well but his time would be better spent working with homeless and poor people in this country,not just saving elephants! At 31 he should know what he wants to do,not take a year off to decide,we don't all have that luxury do we?

It's not uncommon for men in the military to leave in their early 30s. He not retiring though, it's just he expected to take on more royal duties with his granmother's advancing age (his father's not young either) and is working more with his charities. It wasn't entitrely unexpected, with him becoming a father in the last few months as well and bearing in mind his grandmother is 87 it was exoected that in the near future he'd become a more full-time royal.

No. He is a spoilt arrogant man. He wants to be with his child and his wife more, and I expect his wife has told him to do this. She is very much the boss.When he is King she will very much be dictating to him what to do.He is looking for a mother figure in Kate Middleton after the loss of his own mother Princess Diana.

A lot of people only serve in the armed forces for four years

Hundreds of thousands of men served just two years "National Service "and nobody had a "pop" at them !

Any footballer? And they don't do anything important in their working life. William certainly has.