Taking aim: William takes part in an archery lesson while blindfolded at St Dunstan'sPrince William let slip that the country might be waiting a little longer for another royal wedding today.
The 27-year-old prince - who vowed he wouldn't get married before his 28th birthday in June this year - revealed his thoughts on the issue as he toured a centre for visually impaired ex-servicemen in North Wales.
Chatting with Corporal Simon Brown, who was blinded by a sniper in Iraq three years ago, the royal admired the soldier's glass eye which had been emblazoned with a Union Jack, remarking: 'Very patriotic'.
Cheeky Simon, 31, joked: 'Well, I'm trying to get an invite to your wedding'.
'Oh you'll have to wait a while yet,' replied a laughing William, who has been dating his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton for more than seven years.
The prince also proved he was game when he agreed to try his hand at archery wearing a blindfold.
He stood 25 yards from the target - twice the normal distance for a beginner - and was forced to use a right-handed bow, which is a little awkward for someone who is left-handed, as he took aim.
Cheeky: Prince William was asked for an invitation to his wedding by Simon Brown who was blinded by sniper fire while serving in Basra in 2006'It's hard enough when you can see, let alone when you can't...oh this is going to be embarrassing,' he said - and it was.
The prince's first arrow sailed four foot to the left of the target, while his next two fell just short.
When he finally took the blindfold off and had another go, it fell woefully short again.
Prince William wears special glasses, designed to simulate the effects of visual impairment at St Dunstan's centre 'Right, that's it. Still missed. I can't even hit it when I can see,' he said.
'That's all I am going do...it's humiliating enough as it is!'
William's brush with a bow took place at the St Dunstan's centre, Llandudno. The charity provides welfare, rehabilitation and nursing for blind ex-servicemen and women.
Keeping us guessing: William and Kate Middleton have been dating for more than seven years after meeting at universitySt Dunstan's has already helped more than 5,000 soldiers and says it is seeing a growing number of newly war-blinded soldiers injured in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
Among them is Simon, from Morley, West Yorkshire. A Corporal with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, he was just minutes from safety when his sight was cruelly snatched away by an Iraqi sniper in December 2006.
The then 28-year-old mechanic was just returning to his Basra base after rescuing six of his colleagues whose vehicle had broken down when he came under fire.
'The dust was so bad that we couldn't see, so I poked my head out of the turret,' Corporal Brown recalled.
'Suddenly a bullet came out of nowhere, entering through my left cheek and exiting out of my right.I fell down back inside the vehicle screaming.
'I didn't realise at first that I had lost my sight. In fact my injuries were so horrific, I just went into self-preservation mode.
'I was given a life-saving emergency tracheotomy and [they] put me in a self-induced coma. I didn't wake up for 17 days.'
source: dailymail
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