Kate Middleton and Prince William were due to fly on the doomed Leicester City helicopter shortly after it suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure, it has been claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's three children would also have been on the flight, according to the sister of pilot Eric Swaffer's fiancé Izabela Lechowicz.
William was friends with Mr Swaffer and was excited about taking his family on a trip on the AgustaWestland aircraft that crashed seconds after taking off from the King Power stadium a year ago today.
Kate Lechowicz said she she was comforted by Wills and Kate in the wake of the tragedy that killed five people including her sibling and the pilot.
IT worker Kate told The Sun that Prince William loved flying and got on with Eric.
She added: “They were scheduled to fly together again in November just a short time after the helicopter crashed. William had told Eric, ‘Next time it will be with Kate and the kids.’
“He said it will be a nice day out for him and the family.”
Kate has spoken ahead of travelling to a private ceremony being held today to mark the one year anniversary of the disaster.
The crash also claimed the lives of Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and two of his staff, Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare.
Pilot Eric, 53, was hailed as a hero after the crash as he managed to steer the stricken aircraft away from the stadium, a nearby Holiday Inn hotel and a National Grid building – saving dozens of lives.
Kate, 35, from London said Eric and Will were firm friends and their closeness meant the Duke felt safe bringing his wife, 37, and children Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and Prince Louis, one, on their next trip.
She said that she met the royal couple after the crash and spoke to them for 10 minutes, with Wills mentioning Eric's "quirky sense of humour".
On Friday, Chief Inspector of Air Accidents, Crispin Orr, issued a statement saying: “All parties involved in the investigation continue work to fully understand what initiated the failure of the duplex bearing and to develop any additional safety actions.
"We expect to publish our detailed final report next year.”
