Last month Prince William described flying as his "happy place" and revealed he still keeps his hours going. He's flown the Princess of Wales and their children before, though according to royal author Robert Jobson, this has supposedly sparked concern in the past from both his late grandmother and his father.
Writing in his latest royal book, The Windsor Legacy, Robert suggested that "tensions rose" in early 2024 when the Prince of Wales allegedly flew his "entire family in his helicopter". Describing this as a "habit that had already alarmed" Queen Elizabeth, the author claimed she'd "once warned him firmly to consider the line of succession".
King Charles is apparently on a similar page to his mother and is said to have "revisited the issue" with his eldest son after being diagnosed with cancer last year.
In a passage that cites an interview between Robert and a former member of the Royal Household, it's stated that His Majesty reportedly instructed "senior aide Sir Mike Stevens to obtain William's written acknowledgement of the risks".
"William refused, and his curt reply was sharp enough that Stevens reported it back to the King," the author continued.
Prince William is a highly experienced pilot who previously served in the RAF, though traditionally direct heirs to the throne do not travel together after a certain point. For the Prince of Wales, this is understood to be when he turned 12.
King Charles's former pilot, Graham Laurie, previously shared on a podcast that they "flew all four: the Prince [King Charles], the Princess [Princess Diana], Prince William and Prince Harry, up until Prince William was 12 years old". After that, he had to have a separate aircraft and he added that they "could only fly all four together when they were young with the written permission" of Queen Elizabeth in any case.
Prince George turned 12 in July and given the claim that his father "refused" to write the acknowledgement that was requested, it's possible that the Waleses still fly together as a family. Whilst the Prince and Princess of Wales respect the traditions that are so entrenched in the Royal Family's way of life, they're also not afraid to forge their own paths.
From signing off messages with their personal initials, to hugging people at engagements, doing school pick-ups themselves and clearing their diaries for school holidays, William and Kate are very much a modern royal couple.
Whilst they still undertake a large number of engagements and appearances, making ample time for Prince George, Charlotte and Louis and having a secure, happy family unit means a lot to them.
During his much-talked-about appearance on Eugene Levy's Apple TV+ show, The Reluctant Traveler, the future King spoke about how it's "really important" for him to get the right balance between work and family life. He declared, "The most important thing in my life is family."
"If you don't start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you're setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall. So it's about making sure we feel we can look after our family and our children in a way we feel is best for their future," William said.
