Unseen footage released for Armed Forces Day has revealed a rare joint engagement between the Princess of Wales and Prince George.
The mother-son duo visited the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at RAF Coningsby on an unknown date.
The 18-second film, uploaded to Kate’s social media channels, shows the pair touring the airbase and sitting in the cockpits of a Second World War Spitfire and an RAF Typhoon.
You can watch the full video below:
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is an RAF unit that preserves, maintains, and flies historic World War II aircraft, operating as a living memorial.
The fleet includes some of Britain’s most treasured airworthy Second World War era aircraft flown by regular and reserve RAF aircrew.
The aircrew were on hand to show Kate and George around the planes:
Of course, Kate became Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Coningsby in 2023.
In today’s video, the Princess wore a grey-brown checked blazer, an off-white scoop-neck tee, tailored trousers and flat brown shoes.
The smart-blazer-and-trouser look has become her tried-and-tested ‘uniform’ for these sorts of engagements. She usually opts for a restrained neutral colour palette (except for the red, you could argue!)
Shown above: Kate at RAF Wittering in 2017, Kate visiting an RAF base in Cyprus in 2018, Kate at RAF Brize Norton in 2021, Kate at RNAS Yeovilton in 2023, and Kate during her first visit to RAF Coningsby last year.
Kate with George during their recent visit:
Kate’s new outfit immediately caught my eye because it closely resembles her ensemble from the 2023 RAF Air Tattoo. You might remember she attended that engagement with George, Charlotte, Louis and William(below):
Hasn’t Prince George shot up in three years! He is nearly as tall as Kate now!
The blazer Kate wore in the new video is by Max Mara. (With thanks to KateMiddletonStyled.) It’s a new piece (new to us, the Princess might have owned it for some time).
The double-breasted blazer has a neutral coloured base and features a grey and brown ‘Glen plaid’—or ‘Prince of Wales check’, finished with horn buttons. It’s made from a virgin wool-cotton jersey fabric mix.
At the time of writing, the piece is available in very limited sizes on MaxMara’s UK website for £819 (was £1,170). It’s available in all sizes on the US website for $1,442 (was $2,060).
The Reiss ‘Harley’ wool blazer is a nice alternative/repliKate, if you’re looking for something similar. (At a more affordable price point!)
Max Mara doesn’t rank among Kate’s most-worn designers, but she has worn the label on several occasions over the years.
The Italian luxury fashion house is famed for its upscale tailored outerwear. Interestingly, it was established in Reggio Emilia, the city in northern Italy that Kate visited last month with her centre for Early Childhood. (Some royal fans wondered if the Princess would wear Max Mara for the trip, in fact.)
The Princess paired the blazer with an off-white top. KateMiddletonStyled suggests it’s a Joseph piece from a past season, very similar to this silk top. This theory is convincing!
Speaking of Joseph, KateMiddletonStyled also suggests the Princess wore their ‘Coleman’ trousers in the colour ‘Cocoa’.
I can’t say for certain if she’s wearing this pair, but it’s a solid suggestion. Kate owns the trousers; she debuted them back in February. If correct, this would make it the third time we’ve spotted her wearing them in public to date.
The Coleman is a tailored pair of trousers made from Joseph’s signature cotton-blend gabardine ‘stretch’ fabric.
The trousers are available on the company’s website for £295 GBP / $465 USD. The clothing company also sells the style in 5 other colours.
Joseph is a label Kate has returned to regularly over the years. It’s not one of her signature designers, but she has worn the label on numerous occasions since joining the Royal Family in 2011.
Joseph, founded in the 1970s by Moroccan entrepreneur Joseph Ettedgui, grew from a small shop attached to a hairdressing salon in King’s Road, Chelsea, into the global fashion brand that exists today. The company is known for selling elevated basics and luxury wardrobe essentials.
Let’s look at Kate’s cognac shoes now; they are a repeat item. They’re by Pretty Ballerinas. Kate debuted the shoes last autumn for a visit to the Natural History Museum.
The pointed-toe loafers feature a gold buckle and fringing. They’re available to buy from prettyballerinas.com for £229 in the UK and €229 in other European countries. They do not seem available in the USA, unfortunately.
Kate used to carry one of the company’s clutch bags around 12 years ago, and owned two pairs of heels from their parent brand, Mascaró.
Pretty Ballerinas, which has a store in Mayfair, London, is a traditional family business that’s been producing footwear by hand on the Island of Menorca for more than 100 years.
Finally, Kate’s earrings. Long-time readers will recognise these as Kate’s Annouska Pearl Drops, worn suspended from Kiki McDonough Diamond Hoops.
The dainty freshwater pearls are attached to 18-carat gold rings. The hoops are crafted from 18-carat gold, too, and set with diamonds.
Kate’s worn the pearl drops and hoops together since 2012. She’s worn them to more than 70 public engagements—they’re one of her most-worn pairs of earrings by a landslide.
Both pieces remain available from their respective companies. The Annoushka pearls will set you back £450 GBP / $625 USD. The Kiki diamond hoops cost £1,000.
Annoushka is run by Annoushka Ducas, MBA. If you follow Kate’s style, you’ll know that she regularly wore Links of London jewellery in the early years of her marriage—Annouska founded Links of London along with her husband John Ayton back in 1990. Kate’s eternity ring is also an Annoushka piece.
Kiki McDonough is a fifth-generation jeweller, often credited for introducing coloured gemstones to the British jewellery scene. Kiki’s jewellery is a staple in Kate’s rotation; the Princess wears 26 pieces from the company—she doesn’t favour any other jeweller on this scale.
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