The young royals are likely to soon be barred from travelling together due to a longstanding royal rule.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s lives will soon change forever as they are expected to be ‘separated’ due to a long-standing strict royal rule protecting the Crown.
Once Prince George turns 12, the young royal siblings will no longer be able to travel together – and he will also no longer be permitted to share a helicopter or aeroplane journey with his father, Prince William, according to this rule.
The rule is designed to protect the monarchy in cases of accidents and keep the line of succession safe. The safety protocol has been enforced on Prince William too since he was a youngster, as a direct heir to the throne.
Prince William is next in line to the throne and will one day become King. Given George is third in line and Charlotte is fourth, an accident on an aircraft or another form of transportation carrying both of them could threaten the immediate line of succession.
The rule is meant to protect the direct line of succession and make sure the UK continues to have a monarch in case of an emergency.
News of the peculiar regulation was revealed just before Prince George’s 11th birthday on 22 July by King Charles’ former pilot, Graham Laurie.
He recounted: “We flew all four: the Prince, the Princess, Prince William and Prince Harry, up until Prince William 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.
It’s understood that if the family of the Prince and Princess of Wales wanted to travel together from next year onwards, they would need to seek permission from King Charles who is the current monarch.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana didn’t abide by the protocol dictated by the Royal Family and frequently travelled with Prince William and Prince Harry inflight.
If the traditional royal rule is enforced, it means that, aged only 12, George will have to travel separately to many of his close family members for several years to come.
