11-Year-Old Prince George Is Learning How to Fly: 'It Is the Right Time to Start'
He reportedly had his first flight last week.
At the age of just 11, Prince George is following in his father's footsteps and learning to fly.
He reportedly had his first flight on his final day of summer vacation last week. Parents Kate Middleton and Prince William watched their son soar through the air for just under an hour at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire, England, the same airfield his great-grandad Prince Philip trained in, and eventually earned his wings with the Royal Air Force in 1953.
"George is only 11 years old but it is the right time to start," an onlooker told The Sun. "The Royal Family has a proud tradition of flying and it looks like George is next in line."
"There were probably 30 or 40 people in the clubhouse," another onlooker told the outlet. "Catherine and William watched George take off. But they were relaxed about it. All three of them had been pretty chilled in the clubhouse."
In honing his newfound skill, George takes after generations of royals that all learned and mastered the art of piloting aircraft. Prince William received his wings with the Royal Air Force from his father, Prince Charles, in 2008 after completing a 12-week flying course. William then worked as a search and rescue pilot for the Royal Air Force in Anglesey, Wales. He then became an air ambulance helicopter pilot and joined the East Anglian Air Ambulance in 2014.
Grandfather King Charles also spent months training with the Royal Air Force.
In fact, Prince George's family history of flying is not limited to his royal bloodline, as the Middleton family, too, has generations of experience with flying. His maternal grandfather, Michael Middleton, worked as a British Airways (BA) flight dispatcher after studying to become a pilot with British European Airways, with his maternal grandmother working as a flight attendant for BA. Even his maternal great-grandfather, Peter Middleton, flew BA jets.
