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Reason behind royal protocol which will separate Prince George from Prince William and Princess Charlotte

Reason behind royal protocol which will separate Prince George from Prince William and Princess Charlotte

The protocol will be coming into force for George soon

There are all kinds of strict rules and regulations that the Royal Family have to abide by - even the youngest, who aren't exempt from a lot of the red tape.

Prince George, 10, and his siblings Charlotte, nine, and Louis, six, have grown up knowing that their upbringing is very different to others their age.

There are some measures to make their lives feel relatively normal, including the names they're given at school.

In an attempt to make sure they seem a little more accessible for their peers, the trio aren't known by their royal names when in the classroom.

While they used to go by George Cambridge, Charlotte Cambridge and Louis Cambridge, they are now George Wales, Charlotte Wales and Louis Wales as a nod to their parents' new titles in the wake of King Charles taking over the throne.

This was a tradition shared by Prince William, and his brother, Prince Harry, who also had their father's title Wales at school.

But there's another form of royal protocol that George - who turns 11 later this month - will also be inheriting, and this time it's not something to normalise his everyday life.

Prince George with siblings Charlotte and Louis (Karwai Tang/Contributor/Getty Images)
Prince George with siblings Charlotte and Louis (Karwai Tang/Contributor/Getty Images)

From July 2025, when he celebrates his 12th birthday, second-in-line-to-the-throne George will be forced to travel separately from his family on royal visits and tours.

He won't just be travelling without his siblings, but also without his father, as Prince William is the first in line to the throne.

The rules stipulate that the two royal members in succession can't be together when travelling - a restriction put in place in case the worst should happen.

You see, if a plane crashed, it would mean an heir to the throne is protected and keeps the monarchy stable.

For Prince William, he always travelled with his family including his late mother, father and brother until he turned 12.

King Charles's former pilot, Graham Laurie explained to 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."

George won't be able to travel with his family (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
George won't be able to travel with his family (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Whilst it isn't set in stone, the unwritten rule has been in place for decades and it isn't just based on superstition, as in the past members of the royal family have died in plane crashes.

In 1937, Prince Philip's sister Princess Cecilie died in an air accident, in 1942 Queen Elizabeth II's uncle Prince George was killed and, in 1972, the late Queen's cousin, Prince William of Gloucester died.

However the travel arrangements are up to the monarch's discretion so King Charles or Prince William could change them at any point if they wanted to.

In fact, William has previously broken tradition and in 2014, he and wife Kate were granted special permission to fly with their three children together for their Australian tour - even just to make travel simpler than separating them all.

At the time, the royal press office told BBC's Newsround: "They had to ask the Queen for permission, but she said yes.

"While there is no official rule on this, and royal heirs have traveled together in the past, it is something that the Queen has the final say on."

Featured Image Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Topics: Prince George, Royal Family, Prince William