Princess of Wales visits RAF Coningsby for first honorary engagement

The Princess of Wales visited RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on Thursday, October 2, for her first engagement at the station since taking on the honorary role of Royal Honorary Air Commodore in August 2023. During a full day at the base, the Princess received briefings on recent operations, inspected training facilities and aircraft, met service personnel and their families, and took part in a flight simulator exercise.

Kensington Palace said the visit included an overview of the station’s recent activity, including overseas deployments to Poland in support of NATO. The Princess was briefed on the work of the RAF’s reaction alert teams that protect U.K. airspace and viewed the Typhoon aircraft used in those responses. She toured training facilities where pilots prepare using mission software and met with junior aviators and families based at Coningsby.

For the engagement, the Princess wore a grey Prince of Wales check two-piece by Bella Freud, paired with a grey knit top and navy suede pumps. She pinned a gold RAF wings brooch to her lapel and wore sapphire and diamond earrings from her personal collection. Her hair was styled half up, allowing the jewellery to be visible.