Royal Family News: Kate Middleton Following In Her Family’s Footsteps

British royal family news teases that Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, had a blast from the past today when she and William tried out a flight simulator during a visit to a cadet center.

William is an experienced pilot who learned to fly with the RAF. During his time in the military, the heir to the throne piloted search and rescue helicopters. This time around he watched as his wife Kate took the controls in London.

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Kate’s family also has roots in the aviation industry. Her father Michael was a commercial pilot and flight dispatcher for British Airways. At the same time, her mother Carole was a BA flight attendant.

During the tour of the 282 East Ham Squadron Air Training Corps Kate wore a solemn black coat as she was helped through a flight on the Grob Tutor which is used by the RAF for early training.

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The royal family is still in a period of mourning for patriarch Prince Philip who was laid to rest Saturday. The couple was given special permission by the Queen to visit the center in honor of her husband, who served as Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Training Corps for 63 years.

The Duke passed the military patronage to Kate in 2015 and she is known as Honorary Air Commandant because of her civilian background.

The cadets gave a rousing, ‘hip, hip hooray for Kate, which no doubt brightened the couple’s spirits.

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In an incredible coincidence, the Duchess of Cambridge’s paternal grandfather, Peter, accompanied the Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, during a royal flying tour of South America in 1962.

One photo of them at the time shows Prince Philip disembarking a plane at Heathrow Airport, while Peter is at the bottom of the stairs in an RAF uniform.

William and Kate’s visit allowed them to hear more about how the Air Cadets support young people in acquiring life skills. After they arrived they met cadets taking part in field exercises and leadership tasks.

William, who served in the RAF, was asked by teen Cadet Sergeant Roberto Afrasinei, a cadet for three years if he wanted to try on some of their kits.

The Air Cadets was established in 1941 and is a UK-wide cadet force with more than 32,000 members between 12-19 years old.

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