A FORMER soldier has described how Prince William held his head and exchanged “military banter” as he was being treated for a head injury.

Jim Schembri was unaware the Duke of Cambridge had come to his rescue when he suffered an accident at work last Tuesday.

Jim, 37, from Ardleigh, who used to serve in the 24 Airmobile Brigade in Colchester, joked that he did not want Prince William flying him to hospital in the air ambulance - before suddenly realising he was already looking after him.

The father-of-two said: “I remember the helicopter landing and the doctor talking to me and someone was supporting my head - although I wasn’t aware at the time who it was.

“He asked me if I was a bootneck as he had spotted a Royal Marines charity band on my arm.

“Then he said: ‘You’ve got an ex-Army air corp working on you’.

“I still didn’t twig it was Prince William and we joked around, exchanging military banter for about half an hour.”

Jim had been knocked unconscious by a tree branch and got the surprise of his life when he came round.

He said: “When they loaded me into the helicopter I said ‘William had better not be flying this’ and he said ‘I’ve been holding your head for the last half an hour.’ I must admit I was totally shocked.

“I couldn’t see his face and he obviously couldn’t turn round and say, I’m the future king holding your head.”

Jim, who started his company, Veteran Tree Care, with two other former soldiers about a year ago, had been working in a garden in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, when the accident happened.

He had made a cut and was changing position 20ft up a tree when the top of the tree “exploded” sending a large branch, measuring around a foot in diameter, crashing onto his shoulder and back and crushing him against the tree.

Jim was knocked unconscious but gradually came round and managed to make his way back down the tree, before Prince William arrived in the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

He will be off work for at least three months recovering from a dislocated hip, dislocated shoulder, a couple of fractured ribs and severe bruising.

Jim said: “He was comforting me the whole time and telling me exactly what he was doing. He had a very calm demeanour and there was no flapping.

“He was extremely good at his job.

“I was very lucky. It was the best care I could ever have asked for.”

The prince reportedly works an average of 80 hours per month with the air ambulance to allow him to juggle other duties.

A Royal aide speaking last month said the father-of-two “relished” combining his royal and charitable duties with his flying.

As co-pilot on an air ambulance helicopter, William is usually seen waiting in the cockpit while his colleagues carry out the medical tasks.

The East Anglian Air Ambulance. regularly completes more than 150 missions each month, responding to emergencies in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire.