Prince William and Prince Harry helped flood-hit U.K. villagers protect their homes on Friday, unloading sandbags alongside soldiers in the River Thames village of Datchet.
The princes, who have both served in the armed forces, joined a work crew from about 6 am on what aides called a private visit.
The princes were not the only royals helping out. Their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, has sent food and bedding from the royal farms at Windsor to farmers whose land has been inundated.
England, which has been lashed by wind and rain since December, had its wettest January since records began in 1766, and the rain has continued this month. Storms this week have brought wind gusts of more than 100 mph.
Floods have drenched the South-western coast of England, the low-lying Somerset Levels and the Thames Valley west of London, where hundreds of properties have been swamped after the river burst its banks.
Another bout of gale—force winds hit the country on Friday, bringing large waves and up to 1.6 inches of rain.
Peter Willison of the Environment Agency said Friday’s rainfall would send waters on the Thames and other rivers even higher, flooding hundreds more properties.
