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3d ago

Princess Kate’s RAF Coningsby Visit Pairs Hands-On Training With Viral Moments

The engagement emphasized her Royal Honorary Air Commodore role through QRA briefings plus Typhoon simulator work using real mission software.

Princess Kate is seen smiling as a pilot shows her a Typhoon aircraft during a visit to R.A.F. Coningsby in Lincolnshire, on October 2, 2025.
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CONINGSBY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 2: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Royal Honorary Air Commodore, meets Quick Reaction Alert personnel based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire during her first official engagement at the station, on October 2, 2025 in Coningsby, England. During the visit, Her Royal Highness learned about the station's operational role, met Quick Reaction Alert personnel, viewed a Typhoon aircraft, and toured the new Typhoon Future Synthetic Training facility, and also met families of personnel serving at the base. (Photo by James Glossop - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • On October 2, the Princess of Wales made her first official visit to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire as Royal Honorary Air Commodore.
  • She toured the station’s Quick Reaction Alert facilities and the Typhoon Future Synthetic Training center, where pilots train with real‑world mission software.
  • She took the controls of a flight simulator and was praised by Station Commander Group Captain Paul O’Grady as a “natural pilot.”
  • A video of her walking backward down a steep aircraft staircase in stiletto heels drew hundreds of thousands of views on X.
  • A widely shared photo with a Typhoon pilot and her conversations with service families— including an apology to young girls for not wearing a dress and gifts of model jets—also trended, and she noted that Prince Louis wants to be a fighter pilot.