Prince William Hints at How Prince George May Follow in His and Prince Harry's Footsteps
The Prince of Wales spoke about his eldest son's potential during a Buckingham Palace garden party
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Prince George and Prince William at Wimbledon on July 16, 2023.Prince William said at the latest Buckingham Palace garden party that Prince George is a "potential pilot in the making"
Prince William and Kate Middleton both hold honorary roles with the Royal Air Force and have pilots in their families
King Charles appointed Prince William as Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, making him the ceremonial head of Prince Harry's former unit
Prince William is alluding to the aerial path Prince George might follow just like him and Prince Harry.
On May 21, the Prince of Wales, 41, spoke about his eldest son during a garden party he hosted at Buckingham Palace with support from his cousins Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall. Prince William and Kate Middleton are parents to Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, and William’s comment came as Princess Kate is outside of the spotlight while receiving cancer treatment.
During a chat with Squadron Leader Chrissie Lacey, a padre serving at RAF Coningsby, Prince William said that Prince George would love to visit the hub because he is a "potential pilot in the making," Hello!reported.
The dad’s comment comes after George appeared enthralled during a surprise visit to the Royal International Air Tattoo at Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford last summer. In July 2023, the Prince and Princess of Wales took their kids on a private trip to the world’s largest military air show, where George and Louis seemed especially excited by everything they saw.
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(From left) Prince George, Prince William and Princess Charlotte at the Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford on July 14, 2023.Related: Prince William Will Take on a Special Role at Prince George's Godfather's High Society Wedding
"The family were all looking forward to the trip," a royal source told PEOPLE about the unannounced outing, which came as a school vacation treat for the kids.
Prince George previously made his debut at the Royal International Air Tattoo in 2016 at age 2 ½, where he could already identify parts of planes.
"I imagine his father has told him about helicopters, so he knew what that was called and kept saying, ‘tail rotor.’ It was good to see his technical knowledge! Some training going on early!" Flight Lieutenant Jim Hobkirk told PEOPLE.
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Kate Middleton and Prince George at the Royal International Air Tattoo in 2016.Prince William and Princess Kate, 42, have long had a special connection with the RAF, with pilots in their families. Prince William flew as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot based at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales, from 2010 to 2013, and the couple each holds various RAF-related appointments. In affiliations announced by King Charles in August 2023, Prince William became Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Valley, and Princess Kate was named Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Coningsby.
The appointment was especially meaningful for the Princess of Wales, as one of her grandfathers served in the British air and space force — and reportedly worked with Prince Philip! Captain Peter Middleton flew as a co-pilot with Prince Philip during an aerial tour of South America in 1962,Hello!reported.
Many men in the royal family have trained as pilots, and Queen Elizabeth’s father King George VI earned his wings, according to the RAF Museum.
Prince William isn’t the only member of his generation to hop in the cockpit, however! His brother, Prince Harry, served as a helicopter pilot during his decade in the British Army, flying training missions in the U.S., U.K. and Australia as well as combat missions in Afghanistan.
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The Duke of Sussex, 39, was awarded his Flying Wings in 2010 following completion of the eight-month Army Pilot Course with the Army Aviation Centre, and his father King Charles awarded his flying wings. The King also awarded Prince William’s flying wings in 2008.
Last week, King Charles appointed Prince William to a military position with close ties to Prince Harry. On May 13, the sovereign bestowed the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps his eldest son at a military ceremony at the Army Aviation Centre in Hampshire.
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King Charles and Prince William at the official handover role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps on May 13, 2024.In his new role, William is now the leader of his brother Harry’s former regiment. The Duke of Sussex trained as an Army Air Corps pilot in 2009, before serving with the Corps during his second tour in Afghanistan up until 2014.
Prince Harry was stripped of his three honorary military titles (Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant of Royal Air Force Honington and Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command) after he and Meghan Markle stepped back from their royal roles in 2020. The titles reverted to the crown.
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