Duke shows off his helicopter flying skills with landings on water

He took the controls of the Canadian Forces Sea King helicopter and brought it down safely onto a lake in front of dozens of spectators and his wife in a daring manoeuvre known as “waterbirding”.

The Duke is well used to handling the aircraft as he is an RAF Search and Rescue pilot and his unit fly the same helicopters.

The event was part of a day of activities for the Duke and Duchess in and around Charlottetown, the capital city of Prince Edward Island province.

The Duke boarded the aircraft with two senior Canadian officers close to Dalvay Lake and was waved off by his wife, who watched the performance from a cottage overlooking the water.

His first landing was controlled and steady and he touched down on the lake around six further times.

The most dramatic landing was a manoeuvre where the royal pilot hovered around 40ft above the water then dropped quickly out of the sky sending spray up into the air.