The King's speech to William: 'Concentrate on that helicopter and think of Kate later'
Prince William was urged by his godfather to be careful because it was "dangerous to fly a helicopter when you're in love".
The former King Constantine of Greece revealed today how he wrote to his godson on his engagement urging the royal pilot to concentrate while flying, rather than thinking about his future bride Kate Middleton.
In an interview with BBC News, Constantine also insisted that William would not become King ahead of the Prince of Wales.
He dismissed recent polls which claimed that the majority of the British public would prefer Prince William to leapfrog his father Charles, who today became the longest serving heir apparent in British history.
Constantine, who will be a guest at the Westminster Abbey service, described William as "straightforward, honest, hardworking and never losing his sense of humour".
The former king said: "He's a hell of a nice guy, that's the important thing.
"I did actually mention to him in my letter to him when he got engaged - because I went through that experience myself - that it's quite dangerous to fly a helicopter when you're in love because you have to concentrate on keeping that machine in the air.
"I said 'Be careful, concentrate on that helicopter now and think of Catherine later on'."
Constantine said he believed Miss Middleton would be "superb" in helping the Prince in his "difficult task" serving the people.
He stressed that William would wait his turn to be King.
"It works from father to son or mother to son and that's how it goes. They have to wait their turn... That's how it should be because we are not politicians. We don't strive for that chair. The chair is there if it's needed," he said.
He added: "Don't believe in polls...polls of that type are of no consequence at all.
"If William and Catherine concentrate on the love that they have between themselves, tolerance between themselves and dedication to the people of this country, I think they will do a fantastic job."
The former monarch was King of Greece from 1964 until he was deposed in 1973 following a military coup.
