Kate Middleton breaks silence as Prince William takes solo flight to US

Kate Middleton was seen spending time in the traffic control tower during her visit to the Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) in Somerset as her husband Prince William took a solo flight to New York.

The Princess of Wales Kate's visit comes amid Prince William's first official solo visit to the US, where he will hold talks with UN secretary general António Guterres to celebrate the 2023 Earthshot Prize finalists.

Kate, the new Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), broke the cover for the first time since her husband jetted off to the mission close to his heart.

In her first words since William left the UK, Kate also made a sweet reference to her children, Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, suggesting to the air traffic controllers they would have loved to come and see the airbase with her.

She told the staff that her children were "excited" about her visit to the air base and told her: "I can't believe you’re going there!"

Kate Middleton also conducted training exercises in a hangar with survival equipment technicians, who allow aircrew to operate safely. And there was a lighthearted moment as Kate burst into fits of giggles as she inflated a lifejacket.

Future Queen consort Kate later sat inside a Merlin Mk4 helicopter, deployed by the Royal Marines globally to provide disaster relief, as well as a Merlin MK2, which is used to hunt for submarines. She also tried her hand at flying a Wildcat MK2 in a simulator, which allows aircrew to practice flying over land or on to ships.

William left Kate alone to make a two-day visit to the Big Apple to promote his Earthshot Prize, an ambitious environmental award, now in its third year. 

William will meet Mr Guterres during the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, as the city holds its annual climate week event - a gathering of business leaders, politicians and civil society aimed at driving the transition to a sustainable future. The future King will also visit the Billion Oyster Project to learn more about the initiative which aims to restore oyster reefs to New York Harbour with the help of school children and volunteers.

On Tuesday, King Charles III's eldest son William will attend the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit where the 2023 finalists will be named and their projects showcased. He's not expected to meet with his younger brother Harry during his stay in America.