The new King flew to RAF Northolt to assume his duties in London.
The new monarch of the United Kingdom has taken his first flight as King, traveling from Aberdeen to London onboard an Embraer private jet. King Charles III and his wife Camilla, now Queen Consort, took off from Aberdeen Airport at around 12:30 local time for the one hour trip south back to the capital of England.
Once in London, Charles III will be busy meeting with important people and also issuing an address to the nation. He will meet with the new prime minister, Liz Truss, at Buckingham Palace, and will almost certainly meet with the Earl Marshal to approve the various plans in place for the coming days and weeks.
The rest of the royal family have also been departing from Scotland today. Prince Harry left early from Balmoral, seen exiting at around 8:15 this morning. He boarded a regular British Airways flight from Aberdeen at 10:20, arriving at Heathrow at 11:30. Prince William is also reported to have recently left Balmoral.
The flight from Aberdeen is the first Charles has taken since assuming the responsibility of the Head of State for the UK. He boarded an Embraer Legacy, registered G-LEGC, a luxury aircraft operated by Luxaviation, a UK based private jet charter service. The airplane is 14.7 years old, and has previously flown for International Jetclub, Aerodynamics Malaga and Delos Engineering before arriving with Luxaviation in January 2017.
According to the operator, the Legacy 600 can accommodate up to 13 passengers in addition to three crew. Inside, it is split into three sections: a club area at the front with four spacious seats, a conference area behind with a table and credenza, and two further seats at the rear of the plane. The rear section can be closed off with an acoustic curtain for absolute privacy.
The King landed safely at RAF Northolt at 13:35 local time, and will now make the journey to London to continue his duties.
Charles arrived in Balmoral by private helicopter yesterday, but he’s frequently flown on other aircraft, including the UK’s A330-based MRTT, affectionately known as Boris Force One. In fact, he and his wife were the first passengers on board the newly liveried aircraft in November 2020, flying to Berlin to observe Memorial Day.
In February 2020, Charles was treated to a tour of British Airways’ maintenance base, with the then-CEO Alex Cruz taking the heir on a tour of a Boeing 787, showcasing the airline’s sustainability efforts. The aircraft was G-ZBKA, and the prince was shown everything from the interiors to the inner workings of the Trent 1000 engines. It was a nice bookend for him to be at the maintenance base again, as he opened the facility some 26 years previously.
As King, the Queen’s Flight will become the King’s Flight again, for the first time in 70 years. This is a special fleet of aircraft at the disposal of the royal family for trips and visits, and currently includes three helicopters, the A330 MRTT, An A321neo, and a Dassault Falcon 900LX.
Managing Editor – Joanna has worked in publishing for more than a decade and is fast becoming a go-to source for commercial aviation analysis. Providing commentary for outlets including the BBC, CNBC, Reuters Thomson and others, she works closely with IATA, AviaDev and various airlines and suppliers to get the inside track on the global marketplace.