Intimate Prince William Photos Show Day in Life of Flight Lieutenant Wales [SLIDESHOW]

Intimate pictures of Prince William have given a behind the scenes look at the day to day working life of the Duke of Cambridge.

In the Royal Air Force, Prince William is Flight Lieutenant Wales; he is a Search and Rescue pilot flying RAF Sea King helicopters from their north Wales base.

He works 24-hour shifts as all the pilots do and must be ready within 15 minutes of receiving a distress call.

Yesterday, the Duke of Cambridge was voted the most popular royal, gaining 62 per cent of the British vote - the highest amount ever achieved. These pictures possibly show why the nation is so enchanted by the future king.

Over the last decade, the average number of callouts the SAR receives every year is 1,950. Prince William's unit, the RAF Valley, responds to a huge number due to the area being popular with walkers and climbers.

In a team of four, Prince William starts his day with a morning briefing from the crew finishing their shift.

As soon as they clock on, the crew are at 'Readiness State 15' from 8am to 10pm. This means they must be airborne within quarter of an hour of receiving a distress call. They move to 'Readiness State 45' from 10pm until their 24-hour shift ends, meaning they have more time to plan and prepare the night-time operations.

Often, the crew fly into perilous conditions including gales, rain and poor visibility. They operate a Sea King Mark 3, which has two pilots, a winchman and a radar/winch operator. The helicopter can carry 17 passengers and can fly 250 miles over six hours.

Before going out, Prince William must check his own kit, including the airframe, navigation systems and the hydraulics. They must then go and complete the mission, be it rescuing walkers from the mountains of north Wales, or passengers on a sinking vessel in the Irish Sea.

During the down time, when the crew is not out saving lives, the Duke of Cambridge might be found in the crew-room eating or playing on computer games like Call of Duty.

However, as callouts are unpredictable, they also spend much of their time planning and taking part in SAR training exercises.

At the end of the shift, Prince William then de-briefs the new crew and heads home to his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge.