The Princess of Wales has penned a personal letter to Air Cadets to express her "heartfelt congratulations" as the organisation celebrates its 85th anniversary.
Kate, 44, has been the Royal Honorary Air Commandant of the Air Cadets since taking over the role from Prince Philip in December 2015, who had worked with them for 63 years. In her letter, which featured a personal signature and was dated 20 January, Kate praised the "significant milestone", saying it is "testament to the Air Cadets' proud heritage and enduring commitment to inspiring the next generation of aviation".
She wrote: "This comes with my sincere congratulations to everyone involved in the Air Cadets. I am enormously proud to serve as your Royal Honorary Air Commandant, and hope you will celebrate accordingly."
The official account for the RAF Air Cadets proudly shared a copy of the letter to social media platform Threads, writing: "We are thrilled to receive a formal letter of celebration from HRH The Princess of Wales to mark our 85-year milestone. A proud moment for the entire @aircadets family."
© Andrew Parsons / Kensington PalaceOn Instagram, they thanked the Prince and Princess of Wales "for your dedication to the organisation many of us hold dear" and added: "This Royal commendation is a testament to the spirit and standards upheld by every unit across the UK and overseas."
The Royal Air Force's Air Cadets offers opportunities for young people to begin their careers in aviation, offering training programmes in air, space, cyber and more. There are currently 43,000 RAF Air Cadets across the UK.
Kate's personal relationship with the RAF
The Princess of Wales has always had a close affiliation with the RAF, especially following Prince William's service with the Search and Rescue Force. However, her connection to the Royal Air Force pre-dates her marriage. Her paternal grandfather, Peter Middleton, was an RAF fighter pilot who served in World War II and later as Prince Philip's co-pilot during a two-month tour of South America in 1962.
In October, she visited RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, where she viewed a Typhoon and completed a loop-the-loop on a virtual flight simulator.
© Alamy Stock PhotoKate was heard to tell crowds afterwards that her son, Prince Louis, seven, "fancies becoming a pilot". The Princess reportedly added: "I'm going to tell them it takes eight years and a lot of hard work". Prince Louis had clearly shown his passion for planes during the Trooping The Colour flypast in June, when he looked animated while watching them flying overhead.
Prince George is also known to have a love of aircraft, with Kate admitting in November that her eldest son "knows much more about aircraft than me". She also revealed that George, 12, "very much likes Airfix models and the Lancaster Bomber". Meanwhile, in 2023, Kate and William surprised their children with a visit to a military air show in Gloucestershire and it's clearly a passion shared by the whole family.
