Prince George appeared nearly as tall as his mother as he joined the Princess of Wales for a moving National Armed Forces Day visit to an RAF base.
Kate, who has held the role of Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire since 2023, looked delighted to be accompanied by her eldest son, 12, for the engagement.
The royal pair were given a tour of the station, which hosts two frontline, combat-ready squadrons and is also home to the aircraft that form the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
RAF Coningsby also serves as the RAF’s primary training base for Typhoon pilots.
Footage released by Kensington Palace showed mother and son examining the aircraft, with George now appearing only slightly shorter than Kate, who is 5ft 9ins.
The young prince, who bears a strong resemblance to his father, Prince William — a former RAF search and rescue pilot — listened closely as he was invited to look inside the cockpit of an original Battle of Britain Spitfire.
Dressed smartly in a navy suit jacket and blue collared shirt, George smiled while studying the cockpit instruments before turning his attention toward the rear of the aircraft.
Kate, elegant in a fitted grey tweed jacket, later took her own place at the controls and was seen speaking with Squadron Leader Paul “Ernie” Wise following the visit.
Prince George looked a picture of fascination as he stepped into the cockpit of a spitfire while on a poignant visit to RAF Coningsby for National Armed Forces Day
Kate, wearing a tailored grey tweed jacket, had her turn at the controls of the veteran plane
His Royal High-ness: Prince George is just slightly below his mother who stands 5ft 9ins tall
The Princess of Wales was seen speaking with Squadron Leader Paul ‘Ernie’ Wise
The plane they were shown is a prized Supermarine Spitfire, which has been painted to represent the markings it actually wore on D-Day
The plane they were shown is a prized Supermarine Spitfire, which has been painted to represent the markings it actually wore on D-Day while flying missions with No. 402 ‘City of Winnipeg’ Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
In a later segment of the video, accompanied by a music soundtrack, the future King stepped into a modern Typhoon, which can reach maximum speeds of Mach 2 (around 1,320mph).
The future King, who will turn 13 next month and is set to attend Eton College in Windsor from September, smiled as he climbed into the cockpit.
George is known to have a penchant for flying and has previously taken private lessons at White Waltham Airfield.
Kensington Palace said the visit to the RAF base was ‘honouring Service and Sacrifice.’
In a message posted on social media, it added: ‘Marking Armed Forces Day by reflecting on time spent with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at RAF Coningsby.
‘Learning about the extraordinary history of these aircraft and meeting the pilots and engineers who keep their legacy alive.
‘A powerful reminder of the courage, skill and dedication of those who serve, past and present. Thank you to all those who have served and continue to serve.’
It is understood the Princess of Wales and Prince George visited the site two weeks ago.
The future King stepped into a modern Typhoon, which can reach maximum speeds of Mach 2 (around 1,320mph)
George is known to have a penchant for flying and has previously taken private lessons at White Waltham Airfield. Pictured: George makes his way up the steps of a Typhoon
RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire is one of two RAF Quick Reaction Alert Stations which protect UK airspace, alongside RAF Lossiemouth.
Almost 3,000 Service Personnel, Civil Servants, and contractors work at RAF Coningsby.
The royal pair’s visit comes as celebrations take place across the UK on Saturday to mark Armed Forces Day.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Defence announced it would provide up to £500,000 of funding for Armed Forces Day events across the country.
