Prince William embarks on final day as a helicopter pilot

The Duke of Cambridge smiled and joked with colleagues as he posed for a group photo ahead of his last shift as an air ambulance pilot.

William announced in January that he would be ending his career with the East Anglian Air Ambulance, and has clocked-up more than two years flying medical crews to emergencies from a base at Cambridge Airport.

To mark his final air ambulance shift before moving on to life as a full-time member of the Royal family, he posed for a photograph with air ambulance colleagues in front of the Airbus H145 helicopter, and he appeared in high spirits.

The helicopter arrived back from a mission in the late afternoon and William, together with senior pilot Captain David Kelly, went out to meet it.

He then went back into the air ambulance headquarters and took part in the pilots' briefing and a briefing with the medical team before beginning the night shift.

A statement issued by Kensington Palace earlier this year said William and Kate wanted, as they had in previous years, to increase their official duties on behalf of the Queen and their charity work, which would mean more time in London.

The Cambridges are expected to spend more time at their London apartment at Kensington Palace, rather than their Norfolk property Anmer Hall, as their four-year-old son Prince George will begin school in the capital in September.

The Duke said in the statement in January: "It has been a huge privilege to fly with the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Following on from my time in the military, I have had experiences in this job I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and that will add a valuable perspective to my royal work for decades to come."

The Duke joined EAAA as a pilot in March 2015 and, after completing an initial period of job specific training involving simulator, aircraft and in-flight skills training, he began piloting his first operational missions in July 2015.

Throughout his service, William has been based out of Cambridge Airport, as part of a team including specialist doctors, critical care paramedics and pilots providing emergency medical services across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.