Kate Middleton makes special visit to Lincolnshire’s RAF Coningsby – as it happened
The Princess of Wales visited Lincolnshire on Thursday (October 2) to speak with personnel at RAF Coningsby about their work. Kate Middleton became the Royal Honorary Air Commodore in August 2023, and this was her first visit to the station. Catherine arrived at RAF Coningsby via helicopter and was escorted around the base in a black Range Rover. Opting for a sophisticated but practical look for the military visit, she wore a light grey fitted suit, paired with a black belt and navy heels. Her hair was curled and styled in a half-up, half-down fashion, which showed off her silver earrings embellished with sapphires. She was given a first-hand introduction to the site and the work it does as part of the Royal Air Force. Princess Kate learnt more about the work of RAF Coningsby on recent operations, and how it was recently awarded the ‘Stainforth Trophy’ for demonstrating excellence on operational activities. Princess Kate also met a number of of Quick Reaction Alert personnel, who are part of the RAF’s 24/7 mission to protect UK airspace, with the station one of two QRA fighter stations in the UK.
The Princess of Wales arrives at RAF Coningsby on her first visit to the Lincolnshire base
(Image: Lincolnshire Live/Laycie Beck)
She also visited the Typhoon Future Synthetic Training facility, which provides integrated training environments for pilots to train and carry out complex training exercises, where she had a go on the simulator. The Princess of Wales also spoke with members of the station’s welfare team and other personnel at the site. While sitting down for a cup of tea, Her Royal Highness was handed three cuddly plane toys for her children George, Charlotte and Louis, which she says they will ‘absolutely love’. The mother-of-three then spoke with personnel about the importance of community and belonging – particularly for young recruits who have just joined the military. She said: “That sense of community, that sense of family is very important for them. “We were just saying on the way over here, life in general is becoming so disconnected in so many ways.” The senior royal impressed personnel with many of them describing her as ‘down to earth’ and ‘genuine’. Lincolnshire Live reporter Laycie Beck will be covering the royal visit. Follow our live blog below where we will be sharing pictures, video and words from the RAF base.
You may also like
Leave a Reply