On Tuesday, July 9, the Prince of Wales, 42, was photographed visiting RAF Valley in rainy Anglesey for the first time as the Royal Honorary Air Commodore of the Royal Air Force station. It was announced that King Charles had appointed him as Air Commodore in August 2023.

It was a return to a familiar place for Prince William, as it’s where he worked during the early years of his marriage to Kate Middleton. The royal was based at RAF Valley while working as an RAF search and rescue pilot from 2010 to 2013.

RAF Valley is the only Royal Air Force station in Wales and home of the No. 4 Flying Training School, which is tasked with training the next generation of fighter pilots as well as preparing aircrew for mountain and maritime operations around the world.

During his visit, the Prince of Wales toured the hub and met personnel to learn more about their daily operations and life at RAF Valley, which is the second-largest employer on the island, and connected with the families of those stationed there. William began at the Air Traffic Control Tower, where he checked out the control rooms and heard about the ongoing $56 million project to refurbish the base’s second runway. 

He then moved to the fire and rescue station, where he met crew members and participated in a simulated fire response exercise. The division delivers year-round airfield rescue firefighting and structural firefighting cover for RAF Valley as well as further support for the station’s relief landing ground, RAF Mona.

The heir to the throne then spent time with engineers, flight instructors and trainees before presenting the Prince of Wales Award. The annual prize recognizes the top Qualified Flying Instructor within the No. 4, and this year went to Flight Lieutenant Jake Fleming.

In a key meeting, Prince William met members of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service, which is on constant call for search and rescue support, aircraft post-crash and incident management and medical aid in the mountains. The royal heard about the team’s experiences providing life-saving support in the local area.

Prince William embarked on an aerial career in the military in 2009, joining C Flight, 22 Squadron as Lieutenant Wales (a nod to King Charles’ Prince of Wales title at the time, which William now holds) at RAF Valley in September 2010. He served as a search and rescue pilot for three years, during which he undertook 156 search and rescue operations, a routine operational deployment to the Falkland Islands and qualified as an operational Captain, his royal bio outlines.

The Prince of Wales left operational duties with the Armed Forces in September 2013, shortly after the birth of his first child, Prince George. He later retrained as an Air Ambulance Pilot and worked for East Anglian Air Ambulance from 2015 to 2017.

Prince William and Princess Kate’s special connection to Wales deepened when King Charles announced in his first speech as monarch that his eldest son and daughter-in-law were named the Prince and Princess of Wales. The traditional titles have been for the heir to the throne and his wife for centuries, and a royal source told PEOPLE that the couple was focused on “deepening the trust and respect of the people of Wales over time.”

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