Prince William Reportedly Gushes Son Prince George Is a ‘Pilot in the Making’

View gallery

Prince George could follow in his father Prince William’s footsteps in becoming a pilot. According to Hello! magazine, the 41-year-old royal recalled to Squadron Leader Chrissie Lacey during a garden party at Buckingham Palace, that his eldest son would love to visit the Royal Air Force base and is a “potential pilot in the making.”

Since the age of 2, George has been sitting in airplane cockpits and meeting pilots at social events. He’s been taught well by his father, according to Flight Lieutenant Jim Hobkirk, who told PEOPLE after meeting him at an outing, “I imagine his father has told him about helicopters, so he knew what that was called and kept saying, ‘tail rotor.’ It was good to see his technical knowledge! Some training going on early!” 

In addition to George, 10, William shares children Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis with Princess Kate. 

The 10-year-old was introduced to aviation through his family history. Dating back to the 1900s, King George VI – father to Queen Elizabeth II – was a fellow pilot himself, according to RAF Museum. Many royal members followed after, including William. He was a search and rescue pilot for the RAF and air ambulance pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance, and Prince Harry served as a helicopter pilot during his service with the British Army. Though Kate was not a pilot, she was declared the Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Coningsby along with her husband.

The royal family have had a difficult year so far. Kate, 42, had not been seen out in public since December 2023, which led many to question her health. She broke the news through a video back in March, explaining, “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment…This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”

Like Kate, King Charles III is also battling cancer. After being diagnosed, he released in a statement, noting that he wanted “to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days… As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.”

– by Jessica Acosta