Queen Elizabeth is deeply concerned about her grandson, Prince William, because he often uses a helicopter for travel with his family. A close source revealed to British media that her secret fear stems from the inability to forget a helicopter accident that claimed the life of her private pilot and three others. The Daily Mail reported the source saying: "She is very worried about William and his family after he traveled to Norfolk for the New Year holiday with his wife Kate Middleton and their three children."
In December 1967, the Queen's pilot, Air Commodore John Blount, was killed while flying in a Westland whirlwind, along with three other members of the flight. An investigation found that a gearbox failure caused the incident. Fortunately for the Queen, no royal family members were aboard the aircraft, but Prince Philip had been piloting the same helicopter prior to the accident, which caused the Queen significant fear, leading her to refuse to consider flying in a helicopter ever again.
Indeed, the Queen only used a helicopter in emergencies thereafter; during her Silver Jubilee in 1977, she was determined to visit all areas of her kingdom, and her ministers advised her that the only safe route to Northern Ireland was by helicopter. Thus, she had to board the helicopter despite her anxiety and fear.
