Prince George Can't Fly With Prince William at Age 12

A father-son trip may not be in the cards for Prince William and Prince George for much longer—at least not if they plan on traveling on the same airplane, you know, like most dads and their young children do. But of course, the Wales aren't like most families. 

According to The Mirror, when George turns 12 in 2025, he will likely be required to follow a royal travel rule that has been in place for decades. “There is an important royal custom in place to secure the future of the monarchy by restricting who can travel together on the same plane,” the outlet reports, adding that once an heir to the throne turns 12, he or she has to fly separately from all other heirs. It's a protocol that William has had to adhere to, as well as his father King Charles.  

Former royal pilot Graham Laurie spoke to A Right Royal Podcast about the change once Prince William turned 12 in 1994. "Interestingly, 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," he explained. "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."

This is all to preserve the royal family's future in the event of a crash, but the rule can be eschewed given the current monarch's permission. And while neither William nor Kate Middleton have shared whether or not they will follow this rule with George, if they do, it's unclear who will fly solo. There's a chance the young prince could continue to travel with his mother and siblings, while William uses a different aircraft. 

The rule may be morbid, but practical—just as all royals are required to travel with a black outfit just in case someone in the family were to pass away while they're abroad. Which is exactly what happened to Queen Elizabeth in 1952 when her father King George died while she was in Kenya on a royal tour. Upon returning to the U.K., a black dress was brought to her to change into before she disembarked the plane. 

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