Prince George to Be Separated From Charlotte and William When He Turns 12 Due To Bizarre Royal Rule
Prince George would be turning 12 in a few days, and a lot would change for him when he does, as heir to the throne. As per reports, Prince William and Kate Middleton are already preparing him for his future responsibilities as a new set of rules and protocols will be in effect after his 12th birthday, on July 22. One such royal tradition will restrict him from flying on the same flight as his father.
It has been a longstanding rule for royal heirs to travel separately, as there is always a chance they could be involved in an accident, thus affecting the line of succession. The rule is mostly applicable to the first two heirs to the throne, in this case, William and George. According to Hello! magazine, the monarch has to give special permission for William to travel with George. King Charles, too, followed the rule and had to ask his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, before travelling with William in the past.
In 2024, on an episode of A Right Royal Podcast, former royal pilot Graham Laurie revealed what happened when William turned 12. As per OK! magazine, he explained, “We flew all four: the Prince, the Princess (late Princess Diana), Prince William, and Prince Harry, up until when Prince William was 12 years old.”
Laurie continued, “After that, he had to have a separate aircraft, and we could only fly all four together when they were young with the written permission of Her Majesty. When William became 12, he would fly normally in a 125 from Northolt, and we would fly the 146 out with the other three on.” The former pilot added, “Nowadays, for instance, the King can't fly with the Prince of Wales.” When Princess Charlotte becomes the second in line of succession when William becomes the King, she and George will also not be able to travel together.
Earlier this year, the Daily Mail reported that William and Middleton broke protocol by taking all three children for a second vacation of the year. The family of five first travelled to Saint Lucia from London on a British Airways flight before catching a private plane to Mustique. It was not confirmed whether the Prince of Wales had sought permission from his father to do so. However, back in 2014, William did ask the late Queen to allow him and Middleton to take their eldest son on their trip to Australia and New Zealand. Besides the flight rule, George also has to navigate through a change of school after his milestone birthday. Additionally, once William is King, the young Prince is likely to inherit 8 new titles and will become the 28th Prince of Wales.