Unusual royal rule that could separate Princess Charlotte and Prince George when he turns 12
Prince George could be forced to fly without his father and siblings once he turns 12 to protect the royal lineage in case of a tragedy which could harm the line of succession
A royal rule means Prince George ’s days of travelling with his father and siblings could be numbered over fears for the line of succession.
There are many rules and regulations the royal family must follow with several traditions dating back centuries. One of these concerns regulations around travel for heirs to the throne.
To protect the line of succession once the second in line turns 12 they are often forced to travel in a separate plane to the heir unless they have expressed permission from the monarch. Prince George is second behind his father, Prince William, and turns 12 in July 20125 which could trigger the rule.
When William himself was 12 he stopped travelling with his parents, unless they had permission from the Queen. The King ‘s former pilot, Graham Laurie previously told OK! magazine: “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.”
To ensure the young prince is not lonely, the Princess of Wales will be allowed to travel with him in the event permission is denied. There are also medical precautions taken when members of the royal family are flying.
Dickie Arbiter , former press secretary to the Queen said planes usually fly with blood matched to the royal’s blood type. He told Hello’s A Right Royal Podcast: “ You’ve] got to make sure that you’re covering every eventuality.
“The aircraft would carry blood in case there was blood transfusion. There’s never any guarantee you are going to get the right type of blood at your destination.”
Several royals have died in plane tragedies over the years. In 1937, Princess Cecilie ( Prince Philip ’s sister) gave birth while on a flight.
Tragically the plane crashed into a factory tower in Belgium and the Princess, her husband, their young sons and baby all perished. Prince George, Duke of Kent, died in a military air crash in 1942, and Prince William of Gloucester died while taking part in an airshow in 1972.
