Kate Middleton looks chic as she joins Prince William at the Royal International Air Tattoo

The Prince and Princess of Wales have treated their three children to a fun day out at a military air show today.

Looking typically chic, Kate, 41, opted for a statement beige Blaze Milano blazer with a white blouse and tailored blue trousers as she explored a plane with her youngest son, Prince Louis, five.

She also joined Prince George, nine, who was dressed in a Ralph Lauren polo T-shirt, and Princess Charlotte, eight, at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Gloucestershire.

The three young royals looked delighted to start their summer holidays with the outing – even if the weather didn’t quite play ball with grey skies providing an overcast backdrop to the action. 

Future king George, who celebrates his 10th birthday on July 22, sister Charlotte and brother Louis have all broken up from their Lambrook School in Berkshire. 

Princess Charlotte, sporting a Rachel Riley dress, joins her mother, the Princess of Wales, at today’s occasion

A little wave from Louis! The five-year-old prince offered a greeting to the camera when at the show with his mother

The Prince and Princess of Wales treated their children to a day of jets, helicopters and historic planes as they enjoyed the family day.

William, 41, and Kate were all smiles when they arrived with their children at the air show, and was greeted by Wing Commander Will Essex.

They were greeted by grey skies that brought heavy rain but there were a few aircraft still in the skies before they arrived.

The event was a return visit for George who was taken to the show by his parents in 2016, aged three, and was pictured wearing ear defenders at the time.

The family’s first stop was a huge C-17 transporter aircraft, which was used to transport the late Queen’s coffin in the days ahead of her funeral last September.

The royal children were dressed for a summer day in light casual clothing and George and Charlotte, who sported a Rachel Riley dress, looked around at the rain-soaked concrete around the huge plane when they stepped from their car.

They shook hands with senior members of the RAF before they were ushered up the huge ramp of the transport plane with their parents.

The family board a plane during their visit to the event today as the three young royals kick off their summer holidays in style

The Princess of Wales with Prince Louis during a visit to the Royal International Air Tattoo

The Prince and Princess of Wales have treated their three children to a fun day out at a military air show today – with Kate stunning in a a beige striped blazer

Kate joined Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Gloucestershire

The Princess of Wales chats with Prince Louis during a visit to the Royal International Air Tattoo

George was given the task of partially raising the ramp and could be seen pressing the button as his father watched on.

The event is one of the world’s biggest air shows in the world, with all proceeds made from the weekend going to The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust – supporting initiatives including engineering and flying scholarships. 

Kate took over the role of patron for the Air Cadet organisation from Prince Philip in December 2015. Meanwhile, William served with the RAF’s Search and Rescue Force from 2010 to 2013, based at RAF Valley in Anglesey. 

The family’s out comes after a royal expert claimed William is a ‘hands-on, caring dad’ and ‘not a workaholic like his father King Charles’.

The Prince of Wales, 40, carried out just 190 engagements last year, compared to his father’s 497 – but former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond has praised William’s different approach to royal life.

She said the father-of-three is prioritising his family because he knows how much it means to his children [Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five] ‘to be around at weekends and holidays and whenever he can’.

William previously commented on the King’s workaholic nature, telling a BBC documentary in 2018 that he would like to have more ‘family time’ with his hard-working father.

Speaking to OK! magazine, Jennie said: ‘With the late Queen’s ailing health, William probably had to step up to his full time royal job quicker than he might have hoped, but you can see now how committed he is.

‘However, I also very much admire the fact that he’s not a workaholic like his father, he knows how important family life is… He seems to be a full on, hands-on, caring dad,’ she added.

Asked in the Prince, Son and Heir – Charles at 70 BBC documentary in 2018, whether his father has ‘time to be a grandfather on top of everything else’, William answered carefully. 

In previous years, Charles is said to have privately expressed his frustration that he doesn’t get to see as much of his grandchildren as the Middleton family, a claim his aides have always furiously dismissed. 

But his elder son made clear that he would like to have more ‘family time’ with his hard-working father.

William said: ‘It’s something I’m working more heavily on, put it that way. I think he does have time for it, but I would like him to have more time with the children.

‘Now he’s reached his 70th year it’s a perfect time to consolidate a little bit because, as most families would do, you are worried about having them around and making sure their health’s OK – and he’s the fittest man I know but equally I want him to be fit until he’s 95.

‘So having more time with him at home would be lovely, and being able to play around with the grandchildren.  Because when he’s there, he’s brilliant. But we need him there as much as possible.’

William added: ‘He has amazing personal discipline. So, he has – and it’s frustrated me in the past a lot – he has a routine. The only way to fit all this stuff in is things have to be compartmentalised. The man never stops.

‘I mean when we were kids there was bags and bags and bags of work that the office just sent to him. We could barely even get to his desk to say goodnight to him.’