The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, were once caught in a “hair-raising” moment on a five-day royal tour of Pakistan in 2019. During the “dramatic” incident, the royal couple's plane hit a storm, making those on board feel like they were in a “washing machine”.
At the time, William and Kate's Communications Secretary said it was “the most complex tour undertaken by the Duke and Duchess [of Cambridge] to date, given the logistical and security considerations”. The visit saw the couple cover “over 1,000km” and “take in Pakistan’s rich culture, its diverse communities and its beautiful landscapes”, the Express reports.
During a flight from Lahore to Islamabad on the RAF's Voyager plane, the royals faced a “close call” when the aircraft entered a fierce storm. Emily Nash, royal editor at Hello! Magazine was not on the trip but spoke about the incident on the most recent episode of the publication’s A Right Royal Podcast.
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She said: “[During] the then-Cambridges’ tour of Pakistan, there was a bit of a close call with landing the plane. In fact, they had to overnight in Lahore rather than return to Islamabad, it was very dramatic.”
Ms Nash then spoke to Chris Jackson, a photographer for Getty who often goes on royal tours. He was on the flight as it “plunged into the storm” and explained what it was like.
Mr Jackson said: “We had a particularly hair-raising moment on a flight in Pakistan. A huge storm came in at the last moment. We were trying to land in Lahore and we were obviously on a schedule.”
He continued: “The royals had engagements the next day and so it was quite important they could land back in Islamabad for the evening engagements. All commercial flights had been diverted.
“It was literally like being in a washing machine — every time we plunged down into the storm — that's the only way to describe it.”
Lightning strikes could be seen around the plane's right wing as it shook with heavy turbulence. At the time, Emma Louise Bowden, a reporter for PA Media, tweeted a video clip of the lightning filmed from her seat on the plane.
“Those big flashes are the RAF Voyager, carrying William, Kate and travelling media, going through lighting — two aborted landings at Islamabad due to the storm and we’re back in Lahore,” the caption read.
As a result of the thunderstorm, Kate and William were forced to spend a secret, unplanned night in Lahore, after the plane was forced to turn back and land. The Daily Express' royal correspondent Richard Palmer wrote at the time: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are back in Lahore. We set off for Islamabad, circled the capital for an hour, but couldn’t land in heavy thunderstorms.”
The plane attempted to land at Rawalpindi airbase and Islamabad International before returning to Lahore. The Prince and Princess then checked into the four-star Pearl Continental Hotel in the city, along with their 15-strong entourage - a large team of Scotland Yard detectives; the crew of their RAF Voyager aircraft and the journalists and photographers covering the royal tour.
Mr Jackson said: “Even some of the most hardened world travellers were looking very nervous.” However, William was said to have taken the experience “in his stride”, with the former air ambulance pilot joking: “I was flying!”
The Daily Mail's royal correspondent Rebecca English tweeted: “Fortunately William has taken it in his stride - he just came back down the plane to see if we were ok and joked that he was flying!”
And ITV News' Royal Editor Chris Ship posted: “Prince William (a pilot) just joked that he was fine. Even if the rest of the plane and royal press corps were looking a little shaken.”
The incident meant the schedule for the tour had to be rejigged. Their plan to fly by helicopter to the Khyber Pass, where they were due to meet soldiers from the Khyber Rifles guarding the border with Afghanistan, was cancelled.
The RAF Voyager eventually landed in Islamabad after midday, 18 hours after it was originally scheduled to arrive. Kate and William then embarked on their other scheduled engagement of the day – a visit to an army canine centre.
Speaking to reporters, Kate touched on their close call. She said: “It was pretty bumpy up there. We were looked after so wonderfully by the RAF who did a great job liaising with everyone and got us home safely.”
She went on to say that she was “hugely grateful” to the aircraft’s staff.
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