Kate Middleton wows at RAF Coningsby with pilot skills

Kate Middleton turned heads in a sleek grey trouser suit as she made her first official visit to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire today, where she impressed aircrew by taking the controls of a Typhoon flight simulator.

The Princess of Wales, 42, who became Royal Honorary Air Commodore of the base in 2023, gamely performed a loop-the-loop inside the simulator after being invited to try her hand by instructors.

She joked about her seven-year-old son, Prince Louis, already dreaming of becoming a fighter pilot, quipping: “I’m going to tell them it takes eight years and a lot of hard work.”

During her visit, Kate received a private briefing on RAF Coningsby’s key operations, including Operation Shader in the Middle East and Operation Eastern Sentry, which supports NATO’s eastern flank amid rising tensions with Russia.

Wearing navy stilettos and an RAF badge pinned to her blazer, Kate also climbed a set of steep stairs to peer into the cockpit of a fully armed Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon. 

Wing Commander Luke “Wilko” Wilkinson showed her the jet’s hardware, including its missiles.

Station Commander Group Captain Paul O’Grady praised her skills, saying: “She seems to be a natural pilot, we might have to get her qualified!”

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