Prince Charles Gets In Cockpit During Sweden Visit (PICTURES)

PICTURES: Prince Charles In The Cockpit

He had only just stepped off his flight, but the Prince of Wales was eager to get into the cockpit of another plane when he arrived in Sweden on Thursday.

The Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall were shown into a hanger at Arlanda Airport, Stockholm, immediately after being greeted off their plane from Oslo by Sweden's Prince Carl Philip.

After being shown the outside of the Gripen fighter jet, used by the Swedish airport and built with the help of a Scottish firm, Charles walked up the steps towards the cockpit and gingerly sat down inside.

He seemed interested in the controls of the jet and spent some minutes chatting to flight and ground crew, with Camilla standing next to the plane and Prince Carl Philip bending down to hear what was being discussed.

Charles laughed as he clambered out of the cockpit and was led down the steps to be shown details of the plane's technology.

The Gripen has recently been deployed over Libya, where it was used to take aerial photographs.

Its radar system is made by Selex Galileo, based in Edinburgh.

Perhaps to mark the Scottish link, Camilla's outfit on Thursday - a grey wool pinafore dress and coat by Roy Allen - had a Balmoral tartan collar and trim around the pockets.

She and Charles are undertaking engagements in Sweden for the next three days as part of their tour of Scandinavia marking the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Before leaving Norway on Thursday, Camilla met a breast cancer patient at the Oslo University Hospital and was shown the hospital gym. She watched with interest as patients took part in a keep-fit session and said she wished she could join in, as it looked "like fun".

She then joined Charles, who had been taking part in an international sustainability meeting while she was at the hospital, for a trip to Norway's National Museum of Decorative Arts and Design before they left for the airport.

Charles and Camilla were officially welcomed to the country by King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden at the royal palace.

The Prince, wearing a navy blue suit, smiled as he kissed Queen Silvia's cheek and hand in greeting.

She and Camilla kissed each other's cheeks, and the Duchess curtsied after telling her: "It is so lovely to see you."

Charles asked the king "How are you doing?" and Camilla told the Swedish royal how pleased she was to be at the palace.

Before being taken to pose for official photographs, Camilla commented to waiting media: "Such nice weather. It's better than yesterday."

She had spent much of her time in Bergen, Norway, sheltering from the cold rain under an umbrella.

Sweden's king and queen became grandparents last month when their daughter, Crown Princess Victoria, gave birth to her first child, Princess Estelle.

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