Why Prince George Will Stop Flying With His Family As He Grows Up
Due to this old school rule, Prince George will soon be flying separately from his family.
Since their return to royal duties in early September, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been quite busy with all kinds of engagements, with Prince William finally finishing off his big project, the Earthshot Prize. According to reports, the family-of-five have taken a well deserved half-term holiday, as they were spotted at Heathrow airport earlier this week with tons of bags in tow.
Although for now, the family are able to enjoy the flights together, things might soon change-in four years to be exact. Why, you might ask, well it is all due to an old school royal rule. The rule states that senior members of the Royal Family are typically restricted from flying together unless they have obtained permission from the Queen.
The logic behind this rule is quite simple-to ensure the future of the monarchy. If by any chance some kind of unfortunate accident-such as a plane crash-occurs, having both Prince George and Prince William on the same plane means losing both the second and third in line to the throne at once.
In that dark timeline Princess Charlotte, Prince William’s second child would become second in line right behind her grandfather, Prince Charles.
It is because of this rule that royals usually steer away from travelling together, Prince Charles and Prince William do not travel together unless they are given specific permission by the Queen, and neither do Prince Charles and his mother Queen Elizabeth travel together.
Back in 2014, when the Cambridge family, then counting only three, visited Australia and New Zealand, with only baby Prince George joining his parents, the Royal Family’s press office told Newsround: “They [William and Kate] had to ask the Queen for permission [to bring Prince George on the tour], but she said yes. While there is no official rule on this, and royal heirs have travelled together in the past, it is something that the Queen has the final say on.”
This isn’t the only morbid rule that the royals have when it comes to travelling, as after the death of the Queen’s father, King George VI, while she was away in Kenya, it is encouraged that a royal carry a black outfit with them wherever they go, in case something bad happens.
When the Queen returned to England after hearing about her father’s passing, she had to wait in the plane until a black outfit was delivered to her, as royals are only allowed to wear black during periods of mourning. Only then did she leave the aircraft and continue on with everything.
Well, until Prince George grows up, the Cambridge family will be able to enjoy all the luxurious plane trips they can together.