Prince George is about to embark on a pretty big shakeup in his life and it’s all to do with royal tradition.
If you didn’t know already, things are about to change for Prince George as well as his sister, too.
Not only will he be separated from his sister, Princess Charlotte, but also from his parents.
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Let’s get into the details.
Why is Prince George being separated from his sister and parents?
The oldest child of Prince William and Princess Kate, Prince George will soon embark on an important year of his life.
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If the family follows royal tradition, he’ll be forced to travel separately on royal visits and tours.
This is because it has always been customary to protect the royal line and the rules would mean that the two royal members in succession can't be together.
For Prince William, he travelled with his family until he turned 12.
King Charles' former pilot, Graham Laurie explained to OK! Magazine that it changed when he reached of age: "We flew all four: the Prince, the Princess, Prince William and Prince Harry, up until Prince William was 12 years old.
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"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."
Why is it a rule to separate the line of succession?
To put it simply, it’s to preserve at least one person who is in line to the throne if the other were to die.
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For example, there have been a few instances of accidents and deaths in the Royal Family such as Prince Philip’s sister Princess Cecilie who died in an air accident in 1937.
In 1942 Queen Elizabeth II's uncle Prince George was also killed and in 1972 the late Queen's cousin, Prince William of Gloucester died.
What would have happened if Prince Philip was with his sister that day, or if Queen Elizabeth II was with her uncle on the day her uncle was killed and so on?
It could potentially mean the end of the succession line.
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When does the royal rule come into force?
Prince George may have to travel separately from July 2025 on his 12th birthday, as he is second in line to the throne,
While 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 and so have international politicians.
Have there been any exceptions?
Actually, yes!
William broke tradition in 2014 when he and wife Kate were granted special permission to fly with their three children together for their Australian tour.
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."
So we might see them all fly together once again in the future.
Topics: Royal Family, Prince George, Prince William, UK News
Britt Jones