When Prince George of Wales turns 12 years old, he may no longer be allowed to fly with his father, Prince William. This tradition was put in place to protect the line of succession. As of now, Prince William is first in line for the throne, Prince George is second, and Princess Charlotte is third. Successors traditionally travel separately so the royal lineage is saved in case of an aircraft accident.
Prince George may not travel with Prince William
Prince William obeyed this tradition when he turned twelve years old. At that point, he couldn’t travel with his father or younger brother. However, this rule stayed out of the spotlight until King Charles’s former pilot, Graham Laurie, spoke about it to OK! Magazine. He flew the royal family back in 1994 when Prince William was Prince George’s age.
“We flew all four: the Prince, the Princess, Prince William, and Prince Harry, up until Prince William was 12 years old,” he explained. “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.”
As of now, it’s unknown if Prince George or Prince William will be the one traveling solo while the rest of the family stays together.
Royal history of plane crashes
Unfortunately, this tradition was not borne out of paranoia. Three royal ancestors had passed away in aircraft accidents. In 1937, Princess Cecile (sister to Prince Philip) died in a plane crash. In 1942, Prince George, Duke of Kent—the uncle of the late queen— died in a similar situation. And in 1972, the queen’s cousin, Prince William of Gloucester, lost his life while participating in an air show.
Stalked at a young age
Not much is known about Prince George since his parents have been adamant about protecting their children’s privacy. In fact, in August 2015, Kensington Palace released an official statement demanding global media to stop taking unauthorized photos of George. Paparazzi were reportedly surveilling the family and sending children to draw George out so they could photograph him. Paparazzi also reportedly hid in sand dunes to capture the prince playing at the beach with his grandmother, snuck onto private property, and stalked cars leaving family homes. The prince was two years old at the time.
More unusual royal traveling traditions
This is far from the only notable royal tradition regarding transportation. For example, King Charles always travels with a doctor and a ready supply of blood. Plus, royal women are required to pack a black mourning dress whenever they travel. This rule started after the death of King George VI in 1952. Queen Elizabeth II was in Kenya at the time and had to rush back to the UK for her father’s funeral. As soon as her flight landed, an appropriate black dress was brought on board so she could change before she disembarked.
No shellfish or Monopoly
However, unusual traditions are a part of royal life, whether traveling or not. For example, royals are not allowed to order shellfish at restaurants since it poses a higher risk of food poisoning. Similarly, they shouldn’t order overly spicy food, meat cooked rarely, and drink tap water when abroad. Also, Monopoly is banned in the royal homes because “it gets too vicious,” according to Prince Andrew in 2011. Royals, they’re just like us!