Did Kate Middleton's Visit to Air Show with Prince William and Kids Hint at Her New Royal Role?

As the royal family's schedule is carefully coordinated, the Wales family's field trip was likely no coincidence

Kate Middleton’s family field trip may have been a poignant precursor for her new military appointment.

On Friday, the Princess of Wales, 41, was named Royal Honorary Air Commodore of Royal Air Force (RAF) Coningsby by King Charles. Princess Kate was among the nine members of the royal family who received new military appointments and affiliations.

“Following His Majesty’s Accession, The King is pleased to announce further military appointments for working Members of the Royal Family,” the palace said in the announcement. “The new appointments will continue to reflect the close relationship between the Armed Forces and the Royal Family in His Majesty’s reign.”

Kate’s surprise trip to a military air show with her husband, Prince William, and their three children — Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 — earlier this summer may have been a subtle signal to her RAF appointment.

Related: Kate Middleton Quietly Showed She's a Master of Royal Protocol While Out with Princess Anne: Watch

In July, the family of five stepped out at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England. The Prince and Princess of Wales' family toured the aircraft that transported Queen Elizabeth’s coffin from Scotland to London following her death in September 2022, and George and Louis seemed especially excited about exploring some of the equipment.

“The family were all looking forward to the trip,” a royal source told PEOPLE of the outing, which came as a school vacation treat for William and Kate’s three kids.

In addition to her new RAF role announced Friday, Kate was named Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm (previously held by Prince Andrew) and Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards. The air force appointment may be especially sentimental for the Princess of Wales, as her grandfather Captain Peter Middleton served in the force — and reportedly even worked with Prince Philip, according to Hello! magazine.

In another family tie, Prince William flew as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot based at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales, from 2010 to 2013. The prince’s RAF service overlapped with an extra special chapter in his personal life, as he married Kate in 2011 and they welcomed Prince George in 2013.

Prince William and Princess Kate already held RAF-related appointments before the new affiliations were announced on Friday. The Prince of Wales, 41, serves as the Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Coningsby, while Princess Kate is the Honorary Air Commodore of the Air Cadets. She took over the role from Prince Philip in 2015 and sometimes sports the dazzling diamond Dacre brooch for air force-related engagements, such as the RAF centenary celebrations in 2018.

Related: Kate Middleton Receives New Titles from King Charles — with a Tie to Her Grandfather

Like his wife, the palace announced that Prince William was also awarded three new military appointments on Friday, including an RAF-related rank. The heir to the British throne is officially the Colonel-in-Chief, The Mercian Regiment; Colonel-in-Chief, The Army Air Corps; and Royal Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Valley — where he flew as a pilot in Wales!

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As Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, Prince William is now a leader of his brother Prince Harry's former unit. Harry, 38, passed his Army Air Corps "Grading" and Pilot’s Selection Board interview in 2008 before training as an Army Air Corps pilot in 2009, according to the royal family's website. He went on two tours of Afghanistan — as a Forward Air Controller from 2007 to 2008 and as an Apache Pilot from 2012 to 2013. During his time in the unit, he qualified as an Apache Aircraft Commander and was promoted to the rank of Captain in 2011.

The Duke of Sussex was stripped of his three honorary military titles (Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant of Royal Air Force Honington and Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command) after he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from their senior royal roles in March 2020. The titles reverted to the crown.

At Queen Elizabeth's funeral in September, many members of the royal family sported military uniforms while Prince Harry wore a suit.

A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex told PEOPLE in a statement, "His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears, and we respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II."

An exception was made when Queen Elizabeth's eight grandchildren stood a symbolic vigil at her coffin during her lying-in-state. Harry wore his military uniform "at the King's request," according to a palace source.

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