LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- Britain 's Prince William received his Royal Air Force pilot 's wings at a graduation ceremony Friday . Prince William while attending Remembrance Sunday ceremonies last November in London . His father , Prince Charles , presented the wings to his son and 24 other graduating students at the ceremony , held at the Cranwell Air Force base in northern England . Prince Charles smiled broadly as he pinned the badge on his son 's lapel . The two shared a few words and shook hands as the audience clapped . William 's girlfriend , Kate Middleton , was among those watching the ceremony . Watch William being presented with his wings » . William , 25 , is already a second lieutenant in the British Army , where he serves in the Household Cavalry ( Blues and Royals ) . Since January , he has been on a four-month attachment with the Royal Air Force designed to give the future king experience with the various branches of the military . William plans to complete a similar attachment with the Royal Navy later in the year , according to his office at Clarence House . During his time with the RAF , William learned to fly three different aircraft : a Grob 115E light aircraft , the faster Tucano T1 plane , and a Squirrel helicopter . The prince was only eight days into his flying course when he made his first solo flight , Clarence House said . At the time , William described it as `` an amazing experience . '' `` Going solo is one of those things -- if you had a list of the top 50 things to do before you die , it would be in there , '' he said in January . Clarence House said it was William 's `` lifetime ambition '' to learn to fly . After the ceremony , he will be known in the RAF as Flying Officer Wales . Prince Charles earned his wings more than 35 years ago at the same air force base , graduating as a Flight Lieutenant . William 's uncle , the Duke of York , flew Sea King helicopters during the Falklands War in 1982 . E-mail to a friend .
Grob 115E 's Prince Charles due to receive his RAF pilot 's wings . Future head of British armed forces completes four-month stint with Royal Air Force . The 25-year-old has trained as a helicopter and fighter pilot . His father , Prince William , presented his wings at graduation ceremony .