Prince George, 11, is already taking pilot lessons & scuba diving lessons

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.”

[From The Telegraph]

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.

[From People]

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.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red, Cover Images and Kensington Palace.