Prince George 'is learning to fly' aged 11 and took his first lesson last week as William and Kate watched on
13 September 2024, 05:21
Prince George is learning to fly aged just 11, and took his first lesson last week as Prince William and Kate watched on from the ground.
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The young royal is said to have "loved" the hour-long flight lesson, which took place at an airfield in Berkshire on the last day of the school holidays.
George went up with a flight instructor as his parents watched from the ground, before he came safely back down to earth.
William and Kate's first-born is just the latest in a long line of flying royals.
An onlooker told the Sun: "George is only 11 years old but it is the right time to start.
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"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."
The onlooker added: "There were probably 30 or 40 people in the clubhouse.
"Catherine and William watched George take off.
"But they were relaxed about it. All three of them had been pretty chilled in the clubhouse."
The Prince of Wales and his brother Harry both flew planes before moving on to helicopters. William worked for the RAF Search and Rescue Force and East Anglia Air Ambulance.
He said last week that he would "love to fly again", suggesting that he could "volunteer for a weekend".
Harry was an Apache helicopter co-pilot and gunner for the army in Afghanistan.
Neither William nor Harry learned to fly until they were adults.
George's great-grandfather Prince Philip also trained at the same airfield - Waltham, near Maidenhead - and gained licences to fly planes and helicopters in the 1950s.
Prince Andrew also served in the RAF as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands War in the 1980s.
