We’re given such odd messages about how Prince William and Kate raise their children. On one side, we’re told that the Wales kids are being raised with middle-class “Middleton values” from Kate’s side of the family. On the other side, we can see how Prince George is already separated from his siblings and treated differently and in a much more elitist way. About a month ago, there was a report that George, who turned 11 years old this summer, has already begun flying lessons.
Prince George has continued a royal tradition of taking to the skies by starting flying lessons. The 11 year-old flew in a single-engine Piper PA-28 with dual controls, an aircraft specifically designed for flight training.
The Prince and Princess of Wales watched their son take off from White Waltham Airfield near Maidenhead, Berks, and land around an hour later.
An onlooker told The Sun: “George is only 11 years old but it is the right time to start. The Royal family has a proud tradition of flying and it looks like George is next in line. His parents watched George take flight from the safety of the ground but he flew with an instructor and loved it.”
For what it’s worth, William technically has his pilot’s license, but when he worked as an Air Ambulance pilot, he was not allowed to pilot the helicopters by himself. He was always a “co-pilot.” I bring that up because… you know, William wants to act like he’s some big He-Man pilot and his eldest son is following in his footsteps. Anyway, I think George is way too young for this. But maybe scuba diving is more George’s flavor:
Prince George is making a splash with his new hobby, according to his father Prince William! During a visit to the Birtley Community Pool in Tyne and Wear, England, on Oct. 3, the Prince of Wales, 42, revealed that his 11-year-old son is excited by scuba diving.
“George loves scuba diving. He’s 11 years old. We took him under thinking he would freak out. He absolutely loves it. It’s just introducing him to the world of water,” Prince William said at the stop, Hello! reported.
The royal reportedly made the revelation while meeting with swimmers Adam Peaty and Tom Dean, who recently represented Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympics, as did Paralympians Maisie Summers-Newton and Louise Fiddes, who were also at the table.
I think scuba diving lessons are fine for an 11-year-old? But again, why is George being singled out? Can Charlotte not get scuba lessons as well? Let me look it up… the general age range for kids getting scuba lessons or junior-certified is 10 years old. So maybe next year for Charlotte. The larger conversation is sort of… the future king is taking scuba lessons and pilot lessons while most of the UK lives in abject poverty.
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- Prince William, Catherine Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis photographed on the palace balcony following Trooping of the Colour on Saturday 15 June 2024 at Buckingham Palace, London. Trooping the Colour is a traditional parade held to mark the British Sovereign’s official birthday. This year the colours were trooped by The Irish Guards. .,Image: 881899091, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights – Julie Edwards/Avalon.Red, Model Release: no, Credit line: Julie Edwards / Avalon
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- v.li:Keir STARMER Premierminister ENG, Alexander CEFERIN, Prinz George mit Vater Prinz William,Koenig Felipe VI. von Spanien FINALE Spanien ESP – England ENG 2-1 am 14.07.2024, Olympiastadion Berlin. Fussball UEFA EURO, EM, Europameisterschaft,Fussball 2024 GERMANY vom 14.06.2024 – 14.07.2024. *** from left Keir STARMER Prime Minister ENG , Alexander CEFERIN, Prince George with father Prince William,King Felipe VI of Spain FINAL Spain ESP England ENG 2 1 on 14 07 2024, Olympiastadion Berlin Football UEFA EURO 2024 GERMANY from 14 06 2024 14 07 2024,Image: 889796906, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Frank Hoermann/SVEN SIMON / Avalon
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- William, Prinz von Wales, Prince of Wales with son Prince George celebrate 1-1, next to Felipe VI. König von Spanien with daughter Princess Sofia, in the final match SPAIN – ENGLAND 2-1 of the UEFA European Championships 2024 on Jul 14, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.,Image: 889806983, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO / Avalon
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- Marseille, FRANCE – Prince William, prince of Wales and his son Prince George attend the Rugby World Cup 2023 Quater final match Wales Vs Argentina in Marseille. Pictured: Prince William, Prince George BACKGRID USA 14 OCTOBER 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM – Duchess Kate Middleton’s return to the public eye was eagerly anticipated as she joined the British Royal Family at Trooping the Colour, observing the ceremonial parade from their window at Horse Guards Parade in St. James’s Park on the King’s official birthday. Pictured: Princess of Wales, Catherine, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Sophie, Duchess of BACKGRID USA 15 JUNE 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- The Prince of Wales and Prince George watch from the box during day four of the second Ashes test match at Lord’s. Featuring: Prince William, Prince George Where: London, United Kingdom When: 01 Jul 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Trooping the Colour 2024 ceremony, marking the monarch’s official birthday in London. Featuring: Prince George, Prince William, Prince Louis, Catherine Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte Where: London, United Kingdom When: 15 Jun 2024 Credit: Cover Images
Pensioners don’t know how to heat their homes in the winter but at least George is having pilot and scuba diving lessons?!
Privileged much?
They never learn to read the room! People can’t heat their homes and don’t eat well but the monarchy must continue to suck the life out of them.
I’m sure the families headed to food banks are just celebrating their overprivlaged Prince and his expensive hobbies (especially for an eleven yr old).. talk about being tone deaf. Looks like Georgie will be just as out of touch with reality as his parents, sadly the future looks very expensive for the British subjects… good to know that half a billion pounds is being spent wisely 🙄
It feels like George is not good at studying. Because recently son of Japanese crown Prince was the subject of criticism on the Internet. People expressed their anger for raising unintelligent heir.
Instead of talking about George’s studies, why should they brag about pilot lessons???? So far I heard nothing about his academic excellence. Only few times about Charlotte.
There’s strange stuff around George, poor little devil.
As with so much with W&K, the British Prime Minister needs to delegate an aide to monitor & control their activities – flying lessons for an 11 year while W preaches about homelessness are obscene.
@Honeybee: the BRF have never been known for their intelligence. Sure, Charles & Edward went to Cambridge, but those degrees were gimmes. Same for William, I’m willing to bet. They don’t need to be educated or well-read, they’re royals & get all the goodies in life without having to work for them.
The Wales are idiots. I’m fine with George having whatever lessons, it was always going to be extra for the heir. But they are idiots for releasing the info and doing it a day after egg willie released a video about how he will eliminate homelessness is quite quite rich. No pun intended.
This.
I’m actually surprised at this. To my recollection neither William nor Harry took flying lessons or scuba lessons so young. I also seem to recall that W&K getting scuba certified was a recent thing, post-marriage. And yeah, sure, during tough economic times, write such a fatuous article & expect people to think wow, great, royals! Aren’t they fab? Carrying on tradition and all! 🤮
Look… I get it we’re anti Wales on this site but we shouldn’t sink to the levels of the DailyMail and just pick apart every story. Flying and diving lessons for George shouldn’t be a slam against W & K when there are legit reasons to rail against monarchy.
I think one of the legit reasons to rail against the monarchy though is that the system is set up in such a way that George is able to have flying and scuba lessons and to live this life of extreme privilege. It’s not George’s fault, but its the epitome of a very problematic system that results in extreme wealth inequality.
I think it’s a reasonable criticism of them simply because this wasn’t information that needed to be known. You can’t simultaneously release a documentary about rampant homelessness in your country and what you’re doing to tackle it( ignoring your own vast real estate portfolio) and talk about your kid taking scuba diving and flying lessons. The massive wealth inequality, privilege inequality, and hypocrisy of his parents and of the system he’s being raised in is absolutely something to rail against.
The intention behind this revelation is to have dumb people fawning over how much better, talented, special , awesome, gifted etc etc George is than everyone else. You’ll have fans claiming that he can fly planes, scuba dive, save lives, walk on water and do no wrong in 3..2..1.
He’s just over privileged. That’s what he is.
I can sort of believe he is taking scuba lessons in a pool, possibly at his school, but I’m not buying a 10 year old flying a plane. This is some weird BS.
The scuba lessons doesn’t faze me as much because I do believe that is more common and those aren’t usually priced exorbitantly. I think the reason its leaving a bad taste in my mouth though is because I’m thinking of William and Kate scuba diving in Belize on their taxpayer funded vacation.
My dad, who was from a working class family, was taking pilot lessons at 11 in a youth program that had grants for low income kids. He had his pilot’s license at 13.
I know of relatives who took flying lessons and they took them for the first time at a much later age about ten years older than George. George could sit next to the pilot perhaps, but it would be putting him at some risk if he took a plane up. Charles was much older than George when he started and he was not a good pilot, he crashed one of the planes.
I think he is having scuba lessons on their very frequent holidays to the Caribbean. Both Kate and Willi looked very tanned when seen out and about and we have not had a good summer in the UK. And that is the problem… learning to breathe in a pool using scuba kit is not the same as having very expensive holidays . …whilst your parents preach about eliminating homelessness.
@lightpurple; in the US a private pilot license requires you to be 17. Where was he living that he was licensed at 13!! That’s great and good for him taking lessons through a youth program
The love of my little high school heart got his pilot’s license well before it was legal for him to drive a car, 13, I think. He had a hard ass career Army pilot for a father, and it was never up for discussion.
@LRB made the point that should be made. William has been extremely tanned for months meaning several Caribbean holidays. Becky English who carries their water claim the wails family do ‘bucket and spade’ holidays in the UK when anyone with eyes who’s seen their tans know otherwise. It wasn’t a warm UK summer. That’s why willy disappeared for months.
No one is criticizing George. They are critiquing the media that covers this child and acts like rich people hobbies such as flying lessons and scuba diving are normal activities for most 11 year olds in the UK when they aren’t and only confirm that this child is being raised in a very elite way. Both scuba diving and flying lessons require money and for scuba diving, it’s not being done at the beach in the uk. These are being done on Caribbean trips to a private island like Mustique.
So when William is going on about wanting to solve homelessness but then in his next breath discusses how his son is going scuba diving, it’s just another example of how that family is clueless and has no idea how normal people live in the UK.
Hope he will be more rounded than his dad! At least learn 2 other languages! Im not sure why they are so fixated on “piloting”
Yes! If he will be the future Prince of Wales, he should be learning Welsh.
I came here to say they are pretending he will not be prince of Wales. Seems William and Kate’s parenting is as mediocre as their work ethic.
I’ve been to Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. They all speak English. Most people in Wales don’t speak Welsh. This is such a non issue.
This is actually quite an issue for many people in Wales.
There are almost 450 primary schools in Wales where Welsh is the main language of communication, it gets taught in other schools as well and there are many options provided to learn the language.
Just because the language was suppressed for a long time and English was pushed, doesn’t mean it’s not very important. It’s becoming more so every year.
Just because it was convenient for you to travel there because generations of people were pushed to learn English, doesn’t make it any less of an issue. Quite the opposite, actually.
I guess those Welsh people protesting don’t count? Michael Sheen, actual welsh person knows less than someone who visited a few times?
Colonisation…. I am Irish and yes, we all speak English because the British thought our language sounded stupid and savage, and they weren’t going to learn it.
It’s also a pretty bad look to not know that it was illegal to speak welsh until the early 1940s. I mean that would explain why they speak English. This is the same as how many indigenous languages were forbidden in Canada and the U.S. especially in the residential schools.
And Charles was smart enough to make the effort to learn welsh. William just can’t be bothered.
Sincerely, it should be common knowledge that the English crown persecuted the Irish, Scots, and Welsh and made it illegal for their languages to be spoken. The dismantling of the cultures that are now expected to genuflect to the monarchy is a human injustice.
“I’m not sure why they’re so fixated on “piloting”.
I’m thinking, because Harry. This way, they can write how “The royal family has a proud tradition of flying”, as if anything Will, etc. did compares to Harry’s skills and experience as a trained Apache pilot flying missions in a war zone.
Privilege much, don’t they? Thinking participating expensive hobbies is a good thing to brag to your country men while they pay for your upkeep?
Pilot lessons, scuba diving. Next, polo playing, ski vacations.
Remember this fact, QEII was the wealthiest woman on planet Earth during her lifetime.
The direct line of Heirs are coddled, privileged beyond understanding.
I have no issue with George learning these hobbies before his siblings. He is 2 years older than charlotte, after all.
I do have an issue with taxpayers funding all of the wales kids’ elitist hobbies while living in poverty, while the Wales parents “do fewer projects” with “greater impact” (yeah right) and only things that bring joy!
Flip on me if you want: are they seriously having George copy keen Harry with that bracelet?!
When I first saw the picture I got the feeling they copied an old William picture. It could be a Harry picture. What I di know is Kate refuses to let these kids be original. She had Louis doing those old timey hand gestures at, I think, qe2 last trooping.
Yass! I believe they areSteph. You saw that, too. These folks are pitiful.
My son got certified for his 10th bday present. That is what he wanted. It costs about $300 (in the US anyways) and all of the early classes at that age take place in a pool. He still loves it and is now 13.
How much does it cost keep up with this hobby? For example: rental/purchase equipment? Dives? Travel?
Oh, Steph, it’s expensive! I lived in the Rogue Valley, Oregon when I got certified. I took lessons at the Y; all our open water certification dives were trips–trips to the northern CA coast, trips to the Puget Sound area. Medford is about a 3hr drive to the coast, so you’ve got traveling to do. The seabag, fins, masks & snorkel, boots & gloves, were all purchased by me. The tanks, BC, and weights were always rentals. And it’s pricey. Which is why overall, I don’t have that many dives to my name. I do travel a lot for work, and if there’s diving in the area, I’d take advantage of it, but that’s kind of few & far between. Now this kid’s parents, who go to the Caribbean a lot, and Jordan (the Gulf of Aqaba is a great place to scuba), will have no problem getting to dive in cool places. He’s not going to have to wear full gear & squint through the murky water around the coast of Britain.
You don’t get your money from UK taxpayers so not sure how this is relevant. The entire point of this is that brandishing hobbies that many Uk people can’t afford is just making George look out of touch. And his parents could easily pull these stories, as they have done for unfavourable stories about themselves. They shouldn’t be covering this child at all. But someone thinks these stories are good for their image.
They really don’t have the greatest media training and they always end up in situations like this because I think that William and Kate suck at small talk. There’s nothing inherently wrong about a kid taking scuba diving lessons and flying lessons, but these people should be cognizant of the fact that they are taxpayer funded. So while you may roll your eyes at whatever celeb letting their kids do this, it’s not the same when the person’s publicly funded and they don’t seem to get that. Appearance-wise when people are struggling in your country to pay for basic necessities talking about your kid doing something that most adults wouldn’t be able to afford is just silly. He could have talked about George’s love of planes, and his love of swimming and left it at that. I know that people always want to defend them with the whole it’s only 1 pound per person ( I by the way don’t buy that), but that’s 1 pound per person for 66 million people. 66 million could go a long way in supporting food banks opening up job training centers, and hiring people to staff publicly funded services that are under staffed.
There is a report out there showing the real cost is 500 million per year.
By Christmas George will probably log more flying hours than his dad during his entire “career” as a rescue pilot lol. I swear, when you add in school, etc, W&K’s kids are far harder workers than them.
Why don’t i believe this!! It’s logical. England is a seafaring nation. His pops cam fly a plane. Yet, I don’t believe this. Possibly, I could be prejudging him based on his lazy mum. I need to see him actually swim. Lol.
I’m kinda in the same boat, I’m not sure I believe this. Then again, maybe William, the big dummy, revealed more than he wanted to? Kind of admitted to some recent vacay somewhere, somewhere warm. These folks aren’t diving off the coast of Cornwall.
So is it that Williiam and Kate have abandoned the narrative that they’re just a normal middle class family? How soon before they move out or “modest” Adelaide Cottage? I suspect that they’re really living at Windsor Castle.
Here’s my thing. I don’t much care if George is doing these things. Good for him. There’s the whole tax-payer thing, sure and that’s a whole other conversation. But my bigger issue is that I think this article came out the week after they made that embarrassing video. If that timeline is correct, and don’t quote me but I think that it is, then that means this whole story and these details were just a cute story put out to distract from all the negative headlines the wales were getting for the video they created. It was another example of the kids being used and thrown to the press to cover for their parents. Yeah, that’s what bothers me the most.
Good point on using the kid as a distraction, Jais. We don’t need to know this about George.
However, now that we do, I have nothing against G learning to scuba dive. In fact, he’s going to be a much better swimmer (great skill!) and it can give him an appreciation for life underwater. I do seriously side-eye an 11-year-old flying! I think (personally) that he’s too young (does he also drive?) and given his father’s/ family’s supposed environmental credentials: flying is so polluting!
No I think you’re right @Jais — it was either the video or something else — and I remember thinking they were using George as a distraction. It’s a shame all around. Hope the kids can break the cycle but it’s an uphill battle.
Taking flying lessons is not such a big deal. My friends son has been taking flying lessons for a while and they’re not even rich. I was going to take my daughter but she was already pretty invested in music and art.
So yeah, pretty mormal
Flying lessons cost over a couple hundred dollars an hour and it costs well over 16 thousand dollars to get your license for a one-engine plane. What on earth are you talking about? This is totally for rich people.
They’re just preparing George for a lifetime of idleness at other people’s expense.
Yup. A lifetime of announcing ‘he’s keen to learn this and that’.
One wonders if, as Harry and William were ‘born’ into the media contract of their parents if George will be ‘grandfathered’ directly into William’s Murdoch deal to be a media enforcer.
🎯
The “normal middle-class family” has always actually meant seeing your children for more than an hour a day with nanny. The Middletons’ version of normal middle class always involved vacations to Egypt and Mustique and tennis and sailing and cars for birthdays and antique tractors and jewelry and what one student once called “the largest collection of longchamp bags I have ever seen,” then sending 3 children to posho factories, especially St. Andrews. The children even went to what we would consider here in the US a private elementary school. Yet the media eats it up.
They play with the American concept of middle class which is not the same as the UK version. In the UK middle class means white collar jobs and people with money, just no title or ancestry linking them to titles.
American middle class is closer to the British version of working class.
I’m old enough to remember how 30 years ago, hard-studying William was yet learning another foreign language [in contrast to his poor brother who was intellectually deficient]. We were told William was fluent in French German Spanish Welsh Gaelic and had even taught himself Swahili at age 18.
He can’t barely order a croissant 🥐 with a café au lait. He knows Nothing in foreign languages.
We have been told the kids were fluent in Spanish. It turned out George and Charlotte could count up to 10! It’s a pity as Nanny Maria Teresa could have spoken Spanish to them and they will have picked it up.
Good of Kaiser to specify that William couldn’t Pilot the air ambulances, BTW
We have
Supposedly Charlotte speaks three languages.
I wonder why the Nanny didn’t teach them Spanish. It would have made perfect sense. And learning Spanish would have helped them with French and Italian later.
Probably because neither of their parents speak/understand Spanish and didn’t want their kids speaking a language their don’t understand and making them look as dumb as they both are!
I forgot all about this. I totally believed him and qe2 could speak all those languages at the time. Because why not. It would be easy for them to learn a language. They have access to native speakers and time. It’s remarkable what you can achieve when you have cooks and chauffeurs.
Now, I think Elizabeth was probably fluent in German and Scottish with a possible French. Who knows about William. Does he even know French. I think they have moved away from German.
I didn’t throw charles in there because I believe he can speak a few languages. He just isn’t posh sounding so he doesn’t speak try.
The Queen and Charles can speak French because they have used in it canada with the French Canadian prime ministers. Jean chretien said the Queen was quite fluent. Charles has read speeches in French and is decent at that.
William tried to read something in French during the Canada visit in BC and it was excruciating. He is absolutely not fluent.
The conversations should be about getting British kids the opportunities to learn to swim and dive and finding ways to get kids in impoverished circumstances training as pilots (or other careers that require special or expensive training). He’s so tone deaf.
All I see are images of a cute little boy, and I think sadly how the monarchy is going to absolutely ruin him.
Right?! I really try to check myself when I think about how they’re being raised. Try to remember “look at Harry.” But I don’t really have hope for them. I feel terrible saying that.
They are already setting up the tension between George and Louis… George being the golden boy and Louis the cheeky rascal.
And Charlotte put into stereotype of girl who is not “interested” in flying a plane. Or only the brothers “should” .
No, I am with you. I think the Wales kids are doomed. What are the odds there is another Harry in the offspring of William and Kate?
George would not be permitted to fly a plane at age 11. He can fly in a plane and watch. He and his siblings should all have the opportunity to scuba dive
William took flying lessons when he was older
George is too young for a,drivers license
To me these stories are to roll George out for a more public face because he’s the future king and this is the Firm’s call. I also think Charles is leaning into this because George will old enough to take the throne at 18 if anything happens to him or William and George needs to be prepped better than his dad.
I think they realize that William isn’t the hope for the future they thought he was years ago so now the focus will be more on George. That said these kind of stories only show he’s not living a regular British kid life but that of a posh rich kid. Their circle is so insular they don’t seem to get it.
FYI flying lessons are around £12,000 which is not affordable for most British kids. That’s ignoring the young age and access to an airport where these lessons are provided.
The child should get a good education so should his siblings
All the above are very valid statements. I’ve always thought George was adorable since he was very little. I would so hate for that little face to become and reflect arrogance and elitism. My take is that all other arguments aside, it is good for George to get away from his family and be exposed to the outside world, the working world that when contrasted with his parent’s dysfunction, narcissism and stupidity, he will have an alternative example before him to choose.
Ahh, yes, the life of the average 11-year-old British boy … learning to fly a plane.
As others have pointed out, the Waleses are completely out of touch with reality. Publicizing a child’s hobbies — especially when they’re being subsidized by struggling taxpayers — is so clueless.
On the one hand, he is part of a family of fabulous wealth and power beyond the wildest dreams of the rest of us. It makes sense that at eleven, he is flying planes and going on scuba vacations, and most kids would love to do what he is doing. So it’s great that he is happy, I guess. On the other hand, with such expensive hobbies so young, they are setting him up for a life of vapid hedonism just like their own, and he will likely end up just as shiftless and unhappy as them.
Diana tried to keep the children from being spoiled and sheltered. She had them earn money by washing cars on the property. It probably worked better with Harry. Being in an adult world at a young age flying planes, is not a great idea.
The press knows its readers all too well. All they have to do is say a member of the royal family is keen or interested in learning something and their readers will interpret that to mean they are proficient, expert or excellent at that something. Like Kate and her piano, or Will with his non existent language skills.
If they only reported on the actual accomplishments, they would have very little content.
They’re continuing to not teach the heir to the throne any skills he might need as monarch. 🙄
How much longer can this last?
They took him scuba diving thinking he’d freak out? And they did it anyway? Geez Louise. Good thing he didn’t ‘freak out’; you do something wrong in scuba & you can die, or cause someone else’s death.