Meghan Markle called ‘predictable’ by royal watchers after Prince Archie cockpit photo follows Kate Middleton’s aviation outing with Prince George
Meghan Markle is facing criticism from some royal watchers after social media users claimed her latest photo of Prince Archie echoed Kate Middleton‘s recent aviation-themed outing with Prince George, Wonderwall.com can report.
The Duchess of Sussex shared a photo of 7-year-old Archie sitting in the cockpit of a commercial airliner weeks after her sister-in-law shared a video of George at a Royal Air Force base engagement, where the future king was pictured inside the cockpits of military planes.
Archie plays pilot with a cockpit visit
Meghan posted a 12-photo carousel on July 23 captioned “Summer Holiday,” which included family photos snapped on a beach in Portugal, a cozy seaside lunch spot, the grounds of Princess Diana‘s ancestral home, Althorp, and more scenic shots from her vacation with husband Prince Harry and their children, Archie and Princess Lilibet.
In one of the photos, Archie is seen sitting in the first officer’s seat inside what appears to be a commercial jetliner with the flight crew gathered around him.
Archie has both hands on the control yoke and is wearing a pilot’s hat as the captain leans over from his seat and appears to give the young royal some instructional tips.
George tours a Royal Air Force base
Kate and George honored the U.K.’s Armed Forces Day with a visit to RAF Coningsby. She shared a video from their outing on Instagram on June 27.
“Learning about the extraordinary history of these aircraft and meeting the pilots and engineers who keep their legacy alive,” the caption read.
Clips showed George seated in the cockpit of an older Royal Air Force fighter plane, with pilots pointing out the features. He also checked out a more modern fighter jet, receiving another cockpit tour.
Dad Prince William has previously spoken about George’s interest in aviation and in 2024 said his eldest son is a “potential pilot in the making.”
Critics go after Meghan on social media
Reddit users in a forum about Meghan had said they expected to see a photo of Archie in a cockpit after George’s RAF tour.
“As many predicted, Meghan just had to post an aviation-related image of her son after Prince George’s appearance on Armed Forces Day to inspect WWII planes. Either Sinners are psychic, or Meghan is more predictable than a dad joke,” one user wrote.
A second person commented, “Just yesterday it was reported that Prince George, who is now 13, is obsessed with being a pilot. So there you go.”
A third Redditor called Meghan “abysmally predictable” for sharing the shot of Archie, while a fourth wrote, “I just knew it was killing her seeing all of the Prince George attention lately, just driving her wild… She can’t help her crazy self.”
George celebrated his 13th birthday one day before Meghan shared the photo of Archie. The Prince and Princess of Wales shared a new portrait of their eldest child as well as a video tribute on their official Instagram page featuring the teen exploring the Cornwall coast, playing cricket on the beach and enjoying a sailing outing.
George and Archie’s fathers are both pilots
George’s enthusiasm for planes has been evident since he was a toddler. At 2, during a visit to the Royal International Air Tattoo in 2016, he impressed onlookers by correctly identifying parts of a helicopter, including its “tail rotor.” Eight years later, George reportedly took his first flying lesson at White Waltham Airfield.
“George is only 11 years old but it is the right time to start,” an onlooker told The Sun at the time. “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.”
Prince George's growth spurt is in full gear. This is such a sweet lovely photo of Prince George and his beautiful mom, Catherine.
George is almost as tall as his mom Princess Catherine who is 5'9. George very likely could surpass his dad, Prince William who is 6'3. George… pic.twitter.com/FRZjFGJ52o— Mollie'sMama (@MolliesMama_) June 28, 2026
If George continues pursuing aviation, he’ll be following in his father’s footsteps. William earned his Royal Air Force wings in 2008 before serving as a search and rescue helicopter pilot, flying Sea King helicopters on missions around the U.K. After leaving the military, he continued flying as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
Harry also forged a distinguished military flying career.
After completing basic helicopter training in 2010, he spent 18 months training in Britain and the U.S. to qualify as an Apache helicopter co-pilot gunner, graduating at the top of his class in 2012. He then flew combat missions during a 20-week deployment to Afghanistan before qualifying as a fully operational Apache aircraft commander in 2013.