Prince George could be set to be denied royal privilege he’s been granted up to now - unless he has King Charles’s "permission".
There are plenty of strict royal protocols and centuries-old traditions that govern or influence the Royal Family’s day-to-day lives. From not being allowed to write their signatures for fans to spending different times of year at different residences, many of these are well-known and we regularly see them being upheld by the adult royals. However, whilst Prince George is only 11, he could soon be affected by a strict royal rule that only those high up in the royal line of succession need to worry about. It’s reported that from the age of 12 Prince George will apparently be denied the royal privilege of travelling with his father, Prince William.
Up until now, this has been something Prince George has done several times. Speaking previously on Hello! Magazine’s A Right Royal Podcast, King Charles’s former pilot Graham Laurie claimed that 12 was the crucial age Prince William stopped flying with King Charles.
As reported by The Mirror, he explained, "Interestingly, we flew all four: the Prince [King Charles], the Princess [Princess Diana], Prince William and Prince Harry, up until Prince William was 12 years old."
According to Graham, after Prince William turned 12 he "had to have a separate aircraft" and they "could only fly all four together" when the Princes were young "with the written permission of Her Majesty". Following Prince William’s twelfth birthday he "would fly normally in a 125 from Northolt" whilst they "would fly the 146 out with the other three on".
It seems to make sense that Prince George could also be denied the royal privilege of travelling with his father after he turns 12 next year. The young royal is second in line to the throne and it’s possible that he might travel with Kate, Princess Charlotte and Louis. This would mean that it was a less daunting change for Prince George and ensure that he and his father weren’t on the same aircraft.
It’s believed that this royal rule is in place to protect the monarchy, as two direct heirs travelling separately helps to minimise the risk if anything were to happen. In contrast, if they travel together and the plane crashes, both heirs could potentially be lost.
So far Prince George has had the privilege of travelling with his entire family, no doubt with the late Queen Elizabeth’s permission. When he was just nine months old he travelled to Australia and New Zealand with Prince William and Kate for their 2014 tour. They were also seen disembarking a plane together in Germany in 2017.
It would make sense that an exception was made because of how young Prince George was. It’s also possible that after he’s 12 the Prince and Princess of Wales could ask King Charles for permission for their son to travel with them on certain occasions, if not all the time.
It seems that Queen Elizabeth, though, also harboured concerns during her reign about Prince William flying with Prince George in a helicopter even at a very young age. Writing in Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed, royal author Robert Jobson claimed that she expressed them to her grandson.
"She had sharp words with William after he defied her wishes by taking a helicopter flight to Norfolk with all his immediate family," he alleged. "She had warned him against flying with George in case of an accident, telling her grandson he always had to be aware of the succession."
