The royals have a series of rules and protocols they have to follow in their official capacity – but Prince William and Princess Kate have been known to break one very important restriction
Prince William and Princess Kate are considered the perfect representatives for the royal family but even they have been known to break an important rule in the past.
There are a number of regulations and guidelines the royals have to follow – they cannot give out autographs, indulge in PDA, and must seek permission to get married. Another key order revolves around their travel.
Heirs to the throne are unable to fly together to protect royal lineage. This restriction directly impacts those in line to the throne, and therefore included William, his father, King Charles, and his grandmother, the late Queen.
It also impacts Prince George, who is currently second in line. From the age of 12, he will not be able to travel with his father, nor his sister, Princess Charlotte. The tradition was put in place in case of a plane crash, ensuring that an heir to the throne is protected and the monarchy remains stable.
Despite that, Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton have been known to break this rule on a handful of occasions in the past – but only with the permission of the former monarch Queen Elizabeth II. In 2014, the couple flew with their then nine-month-old son George to both New Zealand and Australia. It was reported at the time that the couple needed to receive permission from the monarch due to the risk of two heirs to the throne travelling together.
Prince William himself was forced to obey the same rules, and therefore only travelled with his family, including King Charles, Princess Diana, and Prince Harry, until he turned 12. The King’s former pilot, Graham Laurie previously told OK! magazine: “We flew all four: the Prince, the Princess, Prince William and Prince Harry, up until Prince William was 12 years old.
“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.”
It’s not the only travel rule the royals follow. According to Dickie Arbiter, former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, the royal planes usually fly with blood matched to the royal’s blood type.
“[You’ve] got to make sure that you’re covering every eventuality,” he explained on Hello’s A Right Royal Podcast , “and the aircraft would carry blood in case there was blood transfusion. There’s never any guarantee you are going to get the right type of blood at your destination.”
Blood isn’t the only medical consideration. In 2016, the Telegraph ’s Gordon Rayner reported that the Queen would also travel alongside a Royal Navy doctor whenever she went on a world tour, who would research information about local hospitals.
“In countries where a reliable blood supply is questionable, the Queen and the Prince of Wales both travel with their own personal packs of blood following in their convoy wherever they go,” he added. “Their doctor is never more than a few paces away, carrying a bulky medical bag containing a mobile defibrillator and all manner of emergency medicine.”