When Kate Middleton, dressed in head to toe gray, stepped out for a recent royal engagement at RAF Coningsby, it was royal business as usual. The Princess of Wales, who was given the title of Royal Honorary Air Commander in 2023, climbed inside a fully armed fighter jet, took the controls of a flight simulator and was briefed on the station’s recent operations, including deployments to Poland to support NATO in the face of the ongoing Russian threats. But it was a family-related reveal that perked everyone’s ears up, specifically one tied to her youngest son, Prince Louis.
Kate Middleton Reveals What Prince Louis Wants to Be When He Grows Up
It’s not what you think!
Published Oct 13, 2025
•2:00pm
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WPA Pool/Getty Images
The surprising admission, uttered during a day so action-packed, it had Princess Catherine staying 90 minutes longer than planned, centered around what Prince Louis wants to be when he grows up. According to a report in The Sun, the Princess of Wales revealed that Louis has expressed interest in becoming a fighter pilot. “I’m going to tell [him] it takes eight years and a lot of hard work,” she shared, based on her experience that day.
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In fact, there was one moment in particular that had her thinking of her kids during the royal occasion. It happened during the flight simulation, when she took the controls to perform a ‘loop the loop,’ which is a special (and complicated) aircraft maneuver—and one that led Catherine to imply that her kids, especially Louis, would be jealous of her chance to be in the driver’s seat.
Of course, Louis has plenty of family to turn to when it comes to asking questions about a career with the RAF. Prince William worked as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot during the early days of his marriage. That’s not all: Catherine’s late grandfather, Peter Middleton, was an RAF fighter pilot who served in World War II and also as Prince Philip’s co-pilot during a two-month tour of South America in 1962, per The Sun. (No doubt there are stories Catherine can share with Louis about that experience.)
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Bottom line: It’s a high-pressure profession, but if there’s anyone in the family who knows how to keep calm and carry on in high stakes situations, it’s Prince Louis. (At least, he tries his hardest!)
