Kate Middleton and Prince William broke huge royal rule

Prince William and Princess Kate are considered the perfect ambassadors for the royal family – but even they have been known to break a rule or two in the past.

There are a number of unusual regulations and guidelines the royals have to follow – from the food they can eat, right down to their wardrobe choices. Another key rule revolves around their travel. Heirs to the throne are unable to fly together to protect royal lineage. This restriction directly impacts those in line to the throne, and therefore included William, his father, King Charles, and his grandmother, the late Queen .

It also affects Prince George , who is now second in line. From the age of 12, he will not be able to travel with his father , nor his sister, Princess Charlotte. The tradition was put in place in case of a plane crash, aimed to ensure that an heir to the throne is protected and the monarchy remains stable. Despite that, William and Kate have been known to break this rule on a handful of occasions in the past – but only with the permission of the former monarch Queen Elizabeth II . In 2014, the couple flew with their then nine-month-old son George to both New Zealand and Australia – but had to have it signed off by the monarch due to the risk of two heirs travelling together.

Prince William himself was forced to obey the same rules, and therefore only travelled with his family, including King Charles, Princess Diana , and Prince Harry , until he turned 12. Speaking on HELLO Magazine’s ‘A Right Royal Podcast’, King Charles ‘ former pilot, Graham Laurie, opened up about the rule and how it affected a young William when he turned 12 in 1994. He told the hosts: “Interestingly, 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. 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.”

While Prince George will soon be required to fly separately from his father, it remains to be seen whether the young Prince will continue to travel with his mother and siblings while his father uses a different plane, or if the second-in-line to the throne will be the one to fly solo. It’s not the only important travel rule that applies to the Royal Family . Much like his mother before him, the King has a supply of blood and a doctor with him at all times. In 2016, the Telegraph ’s Gordon Rayner reported that the late Queen would also travel alongside a Royal Navy doctor, who would research information about local hospitals , whenever she went on a world tour.

“In countries where a reliable blood supply is questionable, the Queen and the Prince of Wales both travel with their own personal packs of blood following in their convoy wherever they go,” he added. “Their doctor is never more than a few paces away, carrying a bulky medical bag containing a mobile defibrillator and all manner of emergency medicine.”