Prince George has only days remaining before he will be required to follow a ‘morbid rule’ that King Charles III's former pilot confirmed applies to certain royals once they turn 12.
George, 11, who is second in line to the British throne behind his father, William, the Prince of Wales, is set to celebrate his 12th birthday on 22 July.
As the eldest of William and Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales’ children, George will have to start abiding by some long-standing royal protocol as he begins to prepare to become King one day.
In recent history, the line of succession has skewed slightly, with King George VI finding himself on the throne following the abdication of his older brother, Edward VIII, in 1936.
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Edward, who relinquished the throne to marry American actress Wallis Simpson, passed the mantle of His Royal Highness to George, who in turn was succeeded by his 25-year-old daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, following his premature death in 1952.
So even though 12 seems a bit young to start, nobody knows what the future holds. It doesn’t harm anyone to get going.
What royal duties has Prince George already completed?
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The youngster has already assumed some duties, having accompanied both his mother and father at official engagements and various sporting events.
Most recently, George took part in a VE Day tea party and sat in the Royal Box at Wimbledon’s Centre Court last weekend to see Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner triumph over Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.
He has also appeared at various UEFA-staged football matches as well as the annual ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey that the Princess of Wales hosts each December.
However, after George celebrates his birthday on 22 July, the way he travels to some of these engagements and events will completely change.
George cannot travel on the same plane as his father
To protect the succession to the British throne, the tween will no longer be permitted to travel on the same aeroplane as his father.
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This ‘morbid rule’ is essentially in place because of the possibility that both heirs could die in a plane crash.
King Charles III’s former pilot, Graham Laurie, spoke about the plane issue on A Right Royal Podcast and discussed the moment when William was no longer allowed to travel with his father.
“Interestingly, we flew all four: the Prince [Charles], the Princess [Diana], Prince William and Prince Harry, up until Prince William was 12 years old,” he said.
“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.
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“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.”
Reader’s Digest reported that although George and William can’t be on the same plane, he can reportedly still travel with his mother and his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
When Charlotte and Louis will not be required to travel on different jets from their parents when they turn 12 because neither of them is second in line to the throne.
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At the time of writing, Charlotte sits third in the line of succession with Louis behind her in fourth.
Are there any more royal travel rules that George has to follow?
When George starts travelling by air without his father, he will need to make sure that there is a black outfit in his suitcase.
This is because members of the British royal family must be seen in mourning colours by the public in the eventuality that a member of the family dies.
Famously, the late Queen Elizabeth was caught out in February 1952 when her father died.
At the time, she and her late husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, were touring Kenya, and her wardrobe had been set ahead to a ship she was about to board.
The monarch was forced to fly back in her clothes and wait on the plane while her black outfit was fetched for her.
Topics: Prince George, Prince William, Royal Family, UK News, Celebrity, Kate Middleton
Ella Scott