The Duke of Cambridge had planned to fly on the same AgustaWestland aircraft which crashed just seconds after departing from the stadium in November 2018 after becoming good friend with the helicopter’s hero pilot. Prince William wanted to take his children George, Charlotte and Louis and wife Kate on a family trip, but they never got the chance as the aircraft plummeted on the ground just outside the Leicester City FC’s home stadium. 

The disaster claimed the lives of pilot Eric Swaffe, his fiancé and pilot Izabela Lechowicz, Leicester City FC chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and two members of his staff, Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare.

Kate Lechowicz, Izabela’s sister, opened up on the friendship between former helicopter pilot Prince William and Mr Swaffe on the first anniversary of the crash.

She told The Sun on Sunday: “Prince William loved flying and he got on really well with Eric – they had flown together a number of times.

“He told me he loved his quirky sense of humour and had huge respect for his abilities as a pilot. 

“They were scheduled to fly together again in November just a short time after the helicopter crashed.

“William had told Eric, ‘Next time it will be with Kate and the kids.’

“He said it will be a nice day out for him and the family.”

Izabela’s sister Kate added the friendship between Mr Swaffe and Prince William flourished within weeks after the pair flew together in September last year.

Mr Swaffe was hailed a hero after he, in his last moments of life, successfully steered the plunging helicopter away from the stadium or nearby hotels, saving the lives of hundreds of people.

The pilot was very careful and had spent several minutes going through safety and security before flying with the Duke of Cambridge, mourning Kate said.

Speaking about the visit paid by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to the King Power stadium following last year’s tragedy, the mum-of-one said: “We met Prince William and Catherine after the crash and they kindly spent 10 minutes talking to us.

“William told me that he remembered Eric’s quirky sense of humour.

“He once asked Eric how he had him stored in the contacts book on his phone and he admitted he had him down as ‘Ben Brown’

“He also told me they spent a huge amount of time going over safety and security and “William used to make fun of him, asking, ‘Can we finally fly now?’ 

“It was really nice of them to comfort us like they did.”

The causes of the crash are still being examined by experts.

On Friday, Chief Inspector of Air Accidents, Crispin Orr, issued a statement saying: “All parties involved in the investigation continue work to fully understand what initiated the failure of the duplex bearing and to develop any additional safety actions.

“We expect to publish our detailed final report next year.” 

Prince William has been an RAF search and rescue pilot and a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance for several years.

The royal, who has never hidden his love for flying, completed his last shift as an air ambulance pilot on July 27 2017.

This decision was announced months before, when the Duke said he wanted to become a full-time working royal to take on more duties on behalf of Prince Philip and the Queen.      

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