Prince George is “already learning to fly” after taking his first flight on the last day of his summer school holidays.
According The sunThe future king loved his first flight at White Waltham Aerodrome, near Maidenhead.
Reports suggest the Prince and Princess of Wales watched the 11-year-old boy take off from the runway with an instructor and return to land safely just under an hour later.
William and Kate appeared with George in a three-car convoy at Berkshire Airfield, a ten-mile drive from their home in Windsor.
After the flight, the three royals are said to have relaxed at the airfield’s headquarters, home of the West London Aero Club.
Prince George enjoyed his first flight in the last week of his school holidays.
The future king is said to have “loved” his first flight at White Waltham airfield, near Maidenhead (Note: this image is from 2017, when the prince visited Airbus in Hamburg, Germany)
Reports suggest the Prince and Princess of Wales saw the 11-year-old boy take off from the runway and return to land safely just under an hour later (Note: This image is from 2016 during a visit to the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford)
One observer said: “George is only 11 but it’s the right time to start. The Royal Family has a proud tradition of flying and it looks like George is next in line.”
‘His parents watched George take flight from the safety of the ground, but he flew with an instructor and loved it.’
One person at the airfield said there were ’30 or 40 people’ in the clubhouse while William, Kate and George were there, adding that ‘all three of them had been quite relaxed’.
Pilots can begin learning to fly at any age, but the training hours that count toward obtaining a license begin at age 14.
Students must be accompanied by an instructor until age 16, after which they may be sent out alone.
To obtain a Private Pilot License from the Civil Aviation Authority, students must complete a minimum of 45 hours of flight time and pass nine theoretical exams.
Pilots can be licensed and carry passengers from the age of 17.
George will look to follow in the footsteps of many of his family members who have flown aircraft throughout history.
His father, William, is a trained helicopter pilot who has flown for the RAF Search and Rescue Team and the East Anglia Air Ambulance, while his great-grandfather, Prince Philip, trained at the same Maidenhead airfield.
Phillip was 31 when he began his flight training at White Waltham in November 1952, before continuing at North American Harvard.
At a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace in May 1953, the Duke of Edinburgh received his “wings” from the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sir William Dickson.
His sons William and Harry were in the Army Cadet Corps at Eton College and did not have flying lessons until they were in the army.
William then began an intensive training programme with the RAF in 2009, learning to fly fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters at the age of 27.
George’s great-grandfather Prince Philip (pictured with his grandson in 2021) trained at the same Maidenhead airfield.
William and Harry were in the Army Cadet Corps at Eton College and did not have flying lessons until they were in the army.
In May, King Charles handed over the post of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to William.
Prince William revealed he would “love” to fly in a helicopter again during a visit to the Welsh Air Ambulance headquarters today in Llanelli, South Wales.
William is pictured in 1999 leaning against a helicopter during a visit to the Army Air Corps.
William is pictured at the controls of a Sea King helicopter during a training exercise at Holyhead Mountain, having flown in from RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales, on March 31, 2011.
He completed his training as a helicopter pilot with the RAF Search and Rescue Force in 2010, and later flew an air ambulance for two years before resigning to take up more royal duties on behalf of Queen Elizabeth.
He was known as Flight Lieutenant Wales when he served in the RAF at Angelsey, North Wales.
During her three years of service, she participated in 156 search and rescue operations, during which 149 people were rescued.
William has flown his family by helicopter in the past, including when he took them to the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
Earlier this week, William revealed he would “love” to fly helicopters again during a visit to the Welsh Air Ambulance headquarters today in Llanelli, South Wales.
Britain’s King Charles III poses with service personnel after officially handing over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to Prince William
Prince William, Prince of Wales, sits in an Apache helicopter at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop, on May 13, 2024
He revealed that plans were afoot to fly the Welsh Air Ambulance from its base in Cardiff Bay.
He said: “I would love to fly again, I might volunteer to spend a weekend and then come back.”
In May this year, William took to the skies in an Apache helicopter after being crowned leader of his brother’s former army regiment by King Charles.
Prince Harry qualified as an Apache helicopter commander in 2013, after three years of training.
Had Harry and Meghan not resigned as working royals in 2020, the appointment as colonel-in-chief would likely have been theirs.