Prince George follows in father's footsteps in helicopter pilot's seat as Princess Charlotte coaxed back into good spirits after tumble

Prince George and Princess Charlotte followed in their father's footsteps as they were given a tour of the helicopters he flies.

The two smallest Cambridges were allowed to roam around the cockpit of the EC145, and Airbus helicopter the Duke flies during his work as a search and rescue pilot.

Prince George, who celebrates his fourth birthday on Saturday, was given a treat many little boys can only dream of, sitting in the pilot's seat with expert instructions from his father.

Princess Charlotte, too, was lifted into the helicopter to play under the eye of her mother.

Prince George, who is said to be "helicopter crazy", looked beside himself with excitement as he looked around the helicopter, as his father explained which buttons did what.

The two-year-old Princess, who has been a model of Royal professionalism during all her public appearances so far this week, was a little overcome, at one point falling to the floor.

The Duchess coaxed her back into good spirits in a matter of moments, dusting her off and distracting her with the inside of the helicopter.

The Duke flies the EC145 for his day job in Norfolk, and trained in the second model, the EC135.

The Duke strapped a helmet onto his son's head, helping his shut the sliding door, while Princess Charlotte was allowed to push the buttons.

Antoine van Gent, head of flight testing at Airbus, said: "The Duke was very relaxed showing his children the professional aircraft he uses.

"George was excited, with the first helicopter he wanted to sit in the cockpit and then he wanted to sit in the next one, he already knew there was a difference between them.

"Charlotte was also excited, after her brother had sat in the cockpit she wanted to as well. "Charlotte asked her mother if she could push a button and the duchess glanced at us and asked if it was ok and we said yes."

Earlier, German commuters would have been forgiven for doing a double take at Berlin station when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined them on a busy train to Hamburg.

The Royal couple were photographed at the station on their way to their final day of engagements of their five-day tour.

While they usually charter a private jet or travel in a car convoy under police protection, they were on Friday morning seen joining commuters on the escalators to catch a high-speed ICE train.

The Duke and Duchess later waved and beamed at the crowds when they arrived at Hamburg's Maritime Museum for a tour.

At the attraction, the royal couple celebrated the joint UK-German year of science, which this year is focused on oceans.

Royal watchers will get a glimpse of Prince George and Princess Charlotte when they make an appearance during the official departure ceremony at the end of the day.

Later, the royal couple will travel to one of Hamburg's newest landmarks, the Elbphilharmonie concert hall.

The Duke and Duchess will join the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra on stage before listening to a special performance by the musicians.

The audience will be filled with children from all corners of the city, with the aim of inspiring a new generation to develop a passion for music.

The royals will end their visit to Germany with a tour of the plant of Airbus, the aircraft manufacturer, whose Hamburg base is home to production, maintenance and training facilities.

During the visit the couple will meet apprentices, both German and English, and see the assembly line of an A320 aircraft and view the cockpit of a near-complete plane.