During a visit to Norfolk, Prince William officially launched a new charity vehicle named 'Prince William' donated by him and the Princess of Wales. The vehicle joins the Norfolk Blood Bikes fleet, which transports critical medical supplies including blood, plasma, and breast milk across the county. The Prince, who revealed he still rides motorbikes in disguise, personally delivered blood packs to the East Anglia Air Ambulance headquarters, highlighting the vital community network connecting hospitals, bike services, and air ambulances.
Prince William today took a debut ride in a charity vehicle named after him during a visit to Norfolk. The Prince and Princess of Wales paid for the car, which will carry life and death supplies of blood, plasma, breast milk and medical equipment, privately.
It was named 'Prince William' by Norfolk Blood Bikes as the future King posed for pictures alongside emergency responders before letting slip that he still rides motorbikes - in disguise. Unveiling the donation by peeling off a sticker to reveal the name, 'Prince William', he joked: 'People will be confused and think I'm driving this car!
' The Prince William car now lines up alongside 18 bikes and seven cars, including a Ford Focus called Queen Elizabeth II. All bikes and cars in the 25-strong fleet have individual names that are often chosen or agreed upon by the specific donor. Speaking to bikers who ride for Norfolk Blood Bikes, the royal, who used to own an Ducati, also admitted to 'quietly' taking to the highways himself.
Seeing the bikes lined up in their livery, William confessed, 'I love bikes' and that 'I do still ride now and again' in 'disguise'. He then jumped in the car and took blood packs from Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital to East Anglia Air Ambulance HQ, seven miles away. Speaking to the bikers at the hospital, he said: 'It's a crucial part of the community, not many people understand the network.
You guys provide such a crucial link to what goes on. You guys are amazing.
' William also spotted some hospital patients peering out open windows and ran over to say hello. The Prince waved and gave thumbs up and said: 'Very nice to see you, we've chosen a really rubbish day, you're better off in there.
' It is not known how much the car costs, but a regular Ford Kuga averages around £35,000. At the air ambulance station, he delivered two packs of blood that can be used in an emergence, signed the paperwork, and declared his 'mission' was successful. Speaking to air ambulance pilots at the base, he hailed the 'community thread' that connects the hospitals, bike service and helicopters, saying: 'It really matters a lot you guys are there to provide the link.
' Norfolk Blood Bikes operate 365 days a year, transporting blood, plasma, platelets, samples, vaccines, and any other urgently required medical items to hospitals in Norfolk. They also deliver blood to the East Anglian Air Ambulance, where William worked between 2015 and 2017. At the air ambulance base, William met Lennon Hayes, now 22, who suffered a severe car crash in December 2023 and, with help from East Anglia Air Ambulance and a blood delivery, survived.
The prince told Lennon that seeing people like him 'coming back' to show how they have made a full recovery makes people 'like me' realise 'this is why we do it'. Sandy Gourlay, Chairman of Blood Bikes Charity, said: 'Having cars on the fleet is important. Not all volunteers are bikers, so cars help attract volunteers who have a driving licence only.
'It enables us to uplift multiple high-volume orders for subsequent delivery. Through winter, when bikes are off the road due to low temperatures and bad weather we have safe available fleet. Having an additional car means we can deploy asset into each operation areas where teamwork. Norfolk is the second largest county in England.
Having additional vehicle now means we have a car on every shift we do.
'And having the support of Prince William as a local and keen biker means a huge amount, and that local connection is important to us. ' Explaining how the vehicles are chosen, Sandy added: 'Some are named in memory and some, by the team. ' He said that 'several names were put forward to Kensington Palace and this one was chosen'.
Other names on the shortlist are understood to have included Hercules, which is the name of the Aston Villa mascot, William's beloved football team. Earlier in the day, William comforted a man who said his life had been saved by a local mental health group co-funded by the royal and Princess Catherine.
The future king was on his doorstep of Anmer on the King's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where he and the Princess of Wales have a home, to talk about the work of Norfolk and Waveney Mind
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