Prince William's new royal recruit has so much in common with the future King

The Prince of Wales has appointed a new royal equerry – and he couldn't have more in common with William.

Sqn Ldr Mike Reynolds has been seconded from the RAF and will replace Lt Cmdr Rob Dixon, who is returning to the Royal Navy after four years.

Not only are William and Mike matching in the beard department, according to the Telegraph, but their shared interest in flying closely links them. William recently expressed how much he loves flying helicopters and has continued to maintain close links with both the RAF and the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Whilst on a visit to the Wales Air Ambulance headquarters in Llanelli, he said: "I'd love to fly again. I could volunteer for a weekend to make a comeback."

But what is a royal equerry, and what does the role entail? The role of a royal equerry is to be the eyes and ears of the members of the royal household they serve, and they come from one of the three branches of the British Armed Forces.

Sqn Ldr Reynolds will be in close contact with the Prince directly, both at Kensington Palace and during public engagements.

In February, the Princess of Wales appointed Queen Elizabeth II's former equerry as her private secretary.

Lt Col White worked by the late Queen's side up until her death on 8 September 2022. When he took on the position in 2020, he became the first Royal Marines commando to hold the role. The position of equerry is typically held for three years.

The new appointment comes just after the Prince and Princess of Wales's eldest child, Prince George, 11, flew with an instructor as his parents watched from the ground at White Waltham Airfield near Maidenhead, Berks, a 20-minute drive from their Windsor home.

According to The Sun, George enjoyed an hour's lesson at the airfield on the last day of the school summer holidays last week.

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Following his session, George relaxed with William and Kate at the airfield's clubhouse, the West London Aero Club.