King pays tribute to last surviving RAF Mosquito pilot, 105, during Buckingham Palace visit
King Charles has met with a 105-year-old RAF pilot at Buckingham Palace, paying tribute to him for his service to the country during World War II.
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The King welcomed Flight Lieutenant Colin Bell to Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, presenting him with the citation to his Distinguished Flying Cross, which was originally awarded to him by King George VI in 1945.
Flt Lt Bell is the last remaining RAF Mosquito pilot who fought in the Second World War and conducted more than 50 missions over Nazi Germany.
The 105-year-old has recently released a book detailing his experiences in the RAF.
Read more: Warwick Davis and Alex Greenwood among those honoured by Prince of Wales
The King this morning received Flight Lieutenant Colin Bell for an audience at Buckingham Palace.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) March 11, 2026
Now 105 years old, Flt Lt Bell was a RAF Mosquito pilot during World War II. He gave a book about his experiences to His Majesty today.
During the audience, The King presented Flt… pic.twitter.com/TWo68HvUmx
He gave the King a copy of the book, titled ‘Bloody Dangerous.’
The veteran pilot recently detailed his first experience flying the Mosquito.
"We did a circuit, and we landed," Colin told Forces News.
"I was warned that it had a tendency to pull to the left on take-off, and therefore this was something you had to watch out for.
"I then took over, and I opened up the throttle and felt this great surge of power. So we went down the runway, banked off to the left, climbed up and did the circuit.
"I landed successfully, of course, I'm still here!"