Kate Middleton Revealed Prince Louis Wants to Be a Fighter Pilot When He Grows Up

The Princess of Wales said she's going to tell her seven-year-old son that his dream job "takes eight years and a lot of hard work" to achieve.

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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)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

This month, for the first time since being named Royal Honorary Air Commodore in 2023, Kate Middleton had a chance to visit RAF Coningsby Air Base.

The Princess of Wales wore her gray plaid (Glen Plaid, specifically, a pattern also known as a "Prince of Wales check") Bella Freud pantsuit, which she paired with a dark gray knit top and simple black heels, for her very full day on the base.

CONINGSBY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 2: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Royal Honorary Air Commodore, is shown a Typhoon aircraft as she is given a tour of the new Typhoon Future Synthetic Training facility 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)

Kate Middleton was shown a Typhoon aircraft as she is given a tour of the new Typhoon Future Synthetic Training facility at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire during her first official engagement at the station, on October 2.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Kate's jam-packed schedule for the day included being briefed on the station’s recent operations (including deployments in Poland to support NATO), meeting personnel from the RAF’s reaction alert team protecting U.K. airspace, viewing a typhoon aircraft used in response to potential threats, touring training facilities using real-world mission software to prepare pilots, and meeting with junior aviators and the families of personnel stationed at Coningsby, according to Town & Country.

CONINGSBY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 2: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Royal Honorary Air Commodore, is shown a Typhoon aircraft as she is given a tour of the new Typhoon Future Synthetic Training facility 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)

Kate Middleton was shown a Typhoon aircraft during her tour of the new Typhoon Future Synthetic Training facility at RAF Coningsby.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

One moment during the royal's visit stood out, however, even amid such a lengthy list of activities, and that was when it came time for Kate to perform a “lap of death” in a flight simulator in the training center.

CONINGSBY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 2: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Royal Honorary Air Commodore, is shown a Typhoon aircraft as she is given a tour of the new Typhoon Future Synthetic Training facility 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)

Kate Middleton performed a “lap of death” in a flight simulator in the training center at RAF Coningsby.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

According to The Sun, when the Princess of Wales took the controls of the flight simulator and performed a loop the loop, she implied that her youngest child, Prince Louis, would probably be a little jealous.

In a candid moment, Kate revealed that her seven-year-old son wants to be a fighter pilot when he grows up.

"I’m going to tell [my children] it takes eight years and a lot of hard work," she said.

CONINGSBY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 2: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Royal Honorary Air Commodore, is shown a Typhoon aircraft as she is given a tour of the new Typhoon Future Synthetic Training facility 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)

Kate revealed that her youngest son, Prince Louis, wants to be a fighter pilot when he grows up.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

After Kate's simulated flight, Group Captain Paul O’Grady, Station Commander, made it clear that Louis wasn't the only member of the Wales family who could have a future flying the impressive aircrafts if they wanted to.

"She seems to be a natural pilot so we might have to get her qualified and get her flying a Typhoon, if she’s up for it," O'Grady said of the Princess of Wales after seeing her performance in the flight simulator.

Between the skills Kate displayed during her RAF Coningsby Air Base visit and Prince William's actual past experience as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot, Louis' fighter pilot dreams don't seem far-fetched at all.

Kayleigh Roberts
Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.