Royals Kate Middleton and Prince William's Plane Turned Around by Terrifying Electrical Storm in Pakistan At one point, lightning could be seen over the right wing as the plane bumped and rolled side to side over stormy Islamabad By Simon Perry Simon Perry Simon Perry is a writer and correspondent at PEOPLE. He has more than 25 years’ experience at PEOPLE covering the royals, human interest and celebrity. People Editorial Guidelines and Stephanie Petit Stephanie Petit Stephanie Petit is a Royals Editor, Writer and Reporter at PEOPLE. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 17, 2019 11:55AM EDT Kate Middleton and Prince William encountered a scary moment during their tour of Pakistan. After a busy day of engagements in Lahore, the royal couple were traveling back to Islamabad on a jet when a terrifying electrical storm hit. At one point, lightning could be seen over the right wing as the plane bumped and rolled side to side over stormy Islamabad. Despite the best efforts of the pilot to land the RAF Voyager at two different airports, the plane had to turn back to Lahore. The flight was meant to take about 25 minutes, but the plane was in the air for two hours. “Those big flashes are the RAF Voyager, carrying William, Kate and traveling media, going through [lightning] – two aborted landings at Islamabad due to the storm and we’re back in Lahore,” tweeted Press Association reporter Emma Louise Bowden. Chris Jackson/Getty Images After landing, experienced pilot Prince William reassured members of the media at the back of the plane — and joked that he was the one doing the flying. He suggested it was either going to be a night out in Lahore, or they would return to the capital for the evening. Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Pakistan. Samir Hussein/WireImage Kate and Prince William, both 37, started their day at the SOS Children’s Village, a charity in Lahore that provides a home and family structure to over 150 boys and girls. There, they celebrated the birthdays of three children — Iman, 12, Ibrahim, 6, and Daniyal, 8 — with games, music and traditional Pakistani cakes. And of course, no birthday is complete without singing “Happy Birthday.” The couple then joined a group of children at the National Cricket Academy in playing a friendly game. Tim Rooke/Shutterstock Chris Jackson/Getty Images Prince William and his wife then followed in the footsteps of his late mother, Princess Diana, by seeing a mosque and cancer hospital she visited during her trips to Pakistan in the 1990s. Prince William and Kate Middleton. Owen Humphreys - Pool/Getty Arthur Edwards/PA Images At the hospital, Kate and a young patient sported matching plastic tiaras as the little girl hosted a tea party for the royal couple on her hospital bed.