Princes George and William may never fly together again once the former turns 12 (file) (Image: Getty)
Royal enthusiasts are only just learning about a custom expected to come into practice this year as celebrates his next birthday.
The eldest child of heir to the throne and Princess Catherine is set to embrace this significant change on July 22, the day he turns 12. According to tradition, from that age, the second in line to the throne should fly separately from the first as a precautionary measure designed to safeguard the line of succession.
This protocol means that father and son may no longer be able to travel together on the same flights. The same tradition saw King Charles III and William himself stop flying together after the future King celebrated his own 12th birthday back in 1994. A recent post has brought this tradition to light for many fans.
Whilst the accompanying caption that William has “just informed” George of the change has not been verified, other royal fans were on hand to explain the rule further in the comments section. Clarifying the rationale behind this historic policy, one user commented: “Security. If they were both on the same plane and something terrible happened – then there wouldn’t be a successor.”
A second agreed, penning: “It has always been Royal protocol, however since William’s children were born the protocol hasn’t been followed and they fly with the kids.” A third individual revealed that her family follows a similar cautionary practice, meanhwile. “I always tell my brother not to fly on the same flight as his son,” they said. “If anything happens that’s his lineage gone, as he only made one son.”
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Meanwhile, a fourth simply put: “Just business as usual even though it’s probably hard to accept.” However, a more sceptical voice chimed in: “What a silly antiquated rule. They have a better chance of something happening to them crossing the street together.”
Explaining the royal travel protocol, King Charles’ former pilot, Graham Laurie, previously shared insights on Hello! magazine’s ‘A Right Royal Podcast.’ He said: “Interestingly, we flew all four: the Prince [Charles], the Princess [Camilla], and , up until was 12 years old.
“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 [the late Queen Elizabeth II]. 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.”
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This protocol seeks to mitigate risks, despite such accidents being rare, but the Royal Family has faced its share of air tragedies.
Notably, Prince Philip’s sister, Princess Cecile, perished in a 1937 crash, while Queen Elizabeth II’s uncle, Prince George, died in a 1942 accident. In a more recent loss in 1972, the Queen’s cousin, a different , also died in an aviation incident during an air show.