Kate Middleton Channeled Princess Diana During Her Visit to an Armed Forces Training Academy
Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty; Kensington Royal/Twitter
Newly released photos of Kate Middleton at the Pirbright Training Academy echo a similar visit made by her late mother-in-law Princess Diana back in 1988.
In honor of the U.K.'s Armed Forces Day on Saturday, Kate shared pictures from her November outing, where she spent time with the 101 Operational Sustainment Brigade at Abingdon Airfield to learn about how new recruits and serving personnel are trained.
Kate, 40, sported full military gear including a camouflage jacket as she climbed into a tank during the visit.
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Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty
The photos are reminiscent of when Princess Diana had a similar experience at the Royal Hampshire Regiment at Tidworth. In photos from her 1988 visit, Diana smiled as she sat in a tank with a helmet and headphones on.
During the visit, Princess Diana took part in other military exercises while sporting a green jumpsuit.
Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty
Alongside the pictures posted on social media, Kate shared a touching tribute: "Today on Armed Forces Day, William and I would like to pay tribute to the brave men and women, past and present, serving in all of our armed forces, at sea, on land and in the air, here in the UK and around the world," she wrote.
She continued, "Thank you for all you and your families sacrifice to keep us safe."
"Last year, I was honored to spend time with the @BritishArmy to see how they train serving personnel and new recruits. It was wonderful to see first-hand the many important and varied roles the military play day in, day out to protect us all," Kate wrote.
Before signing off with a simple "C" for Catherine, Kate promised to continue visiting the armed forces with visits to the Navy and Air Force: "I look forward to discovering more about the @RoyalNavy and @RoyalAirForceUK in due course."
Since Prince William, 40, served as a helicopter pilot in the Royal Air Force, the couple has an understanding of the struggles military families go through. They even got their first English Cocker Spaniel, Lupo, to help them at a difficult time.
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"When Prince William was away in the Falkland Islands, he went for dinner with some good friends of ours in the Air Force, and he was saying how difficult it was for Kate because he was leaving for six weeks. It was when they'd just got the Spaniel to help her with the time apart," according to Natalie Bressani, who met the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at a Christmas party for military families in 2018. "She appreciates what wives and families go through."
