In Pictures: Boys with their toys, princes feel the need for speed

The Duke of Cambridge has climbed into the cockpit of an RAF Typhoon jet as he visited one of the bases at the forefront of the UK's air defence.

William accepted an invitation to sit in the pilot's seat of the multi-role combat aircraft at RAF Coningsby - a decade after he flew in the back seat of the fighter from the same station.

The Lincolnshire base is one of two which provide 24 hour-a-day, seven days-a-week fighter cover to intercept threats ranging from Russian bombers to commercial airliners suspected to have been hijacked.

Wearing a suit, the duke spent 10 minutes in the cockpit discussing the controls and the aircraft's capabilities with Wing Commander Andy Chisholm.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry has visited the Silverstone motor racing circuit to officially mark the start of construction of a British motorsport visitor experience.

Harry, who urged more youngsters to study science, technology and engineering in order to keep Britain a world-leader in the sport, was greeted by staff working on the Silverstone Experience, which is due to be launched in 2019.

He first met with students of Silverstone University Technical College and its alumni who are now successfully working in the motorsport industry, before visiting the hangar where the experience will be installed.

The project, of which Harry is a patron, is due to open in spring 2019 and is designed to bring the extensive heritage of Silverstone and British motor racing to life.

And Kensington Palace could not resist tweeting a picture of Harry when he visited Silverstone as a youngster with his mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

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