With King Charles on the throne currently, Prince George the second heir will become the King after his father Prince William.

A father-son trip for the Royal family’s next heirs in line, Prince William and his son Prince George, seems unlikely to start soon. Due to a strict and long-standing “royal custom,” they will have to soon start traveling separately.

Prince George is the eldest son of Prince William and Kate Middleton. He has two siblings: Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. So, why is the royal ban only applicable to him? Let’s explore below.

Several decades-old royal travel ban

Born on July 22, 2013, Prince George is set to turn 11 this month. However, this year he can relax and travel with his father as much as he wants until his next birthday. According to the Royal travel rule, he won’t be able to travel with his father on the same plane once he turns 12 in 2025.

With King Charles on the throne currently, Prince William is first in line, making Prince George the second heir to become king after his father. 

“There is an important royal custom in place to secure the future of the monarchy by restricting who can travel together on the same plane,” as per The Mirror UK. An heir to the throne must fly separately from the other heirs as soon as they turn 12. Both William and his father, King Charles, have had to follow the same rule. Ever since Prince William turned 12 in 1994, he began flying separately from his father.

Graham Laurie, a former royal pilot, discussed with A Right Royal Podcast the shift Prince William experienced in 1994. It’s interesting to note that, until Prince William turned 12, “we flew all four: Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess, and Prince.” He clarified, “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.” He shared that once Prince William turned 12, he would usually fly in a 125 from Northolt, while the royal pilots would fly the 146 with the other three on board.

What is the reason behind this custom?

All of this is to protect the future of the royal family in case of a plane crash, although the current monarch may waive the provision. It is also unclear who will fly alone if Prince William and Kate Middleton decide to abide by this rule. There’s a possibility that the little prince will keep flying on a plane with his mother and siblings while Prince William takes a separate one, or Prince William might travel with Charlotte and Louis while Prince George keeps traveling with his mother. 

Though morbid, there is a sense of practicality in the rule since the Royal family has a history of deaths in plane crashes. Prince Philip’s sister, Princess Cecilie, died in a plane crash in 1937, followed by Prince George, the late Queen’s uncle and Duke of Kent, in 1942, and her cousin, Prince William of Gloucester, in 1972.

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