NEED TO KNOW
- Prince George turns 12 on July 22, which may trigger a new royal protocol regarding travel
- Traditionally, direct heirs to the British throne have not been allowed to travel together in case of an emergency
- It’s unclear if Prince William and Kate Middleton will stick to this tradition, as they’ve bent royal protocol to put family first in the past
Prince George turns 12 on July 22, and with the special day may come a major change for the young royal.
In the past, the British royal family followed the protocol that the direct heirs to the throne do not travel together, in an effort to secure the future of the monarchy in the event of a tragic accident. For George’s father, Prince William, this happened at age 12.
King Charles’ former pilot, Graham Laurie, recalled the royal change on A Right Royal Podcast in 2023: “Interestingly, we flew all four: the Prince [Charles], the Princess [Diana], 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,” referring to then-monarch Queen Elizabeth.
Prince William and Kate Middleton may face a similar decision regarding their eldest son. It’s possible that the royal family could follow suit, requesting permission from King Charles to travel together with their three children: George, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 7.
However, the Prince and Princess of Wales may decide not to follow the same travel protocols as previous generations. They have conscientiously worked to give their kids a normal upbringing despite their future royal roles and strayed from past practices of the family.
For example, King Charles was left for months on end with his grandmother and nannies while Queen Elizabeth went on long tours. “You can’t see this couple doing that,” a source previously told PEOPLE of Prince William and Princess Kate, both 43.
They’ve also skipped some traditional royal events, like holiday appearances, in recent years in order to put family first amid Kate’s cancer treatment.
The question of Prince William and Prince George’s travel arrangements has been a topic of conversation for years, with the late Queen Elizabeth reportedly urging Prince William to give up flying helicopters with his young family. According to The Sun on Sunday, the Queen was kept awake at night with worry over her grandson’s habit of flying helicopters to get around, despite his training with the Royal Air Force.
“She knows William is a capable pilot but does not think it is worth the risk for all five of them to carry on flying together, and can’t imagine what would happen. It would spark a constitutional crisis,” the article said.
After Prince William and his three children, the next person in the line of succession to the throne is Prince Harry. The Duke of Sussex, 40, stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and currently lives in California with Meghan Markle and their two children.
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While it’s not yet known if Prince William and Princess Kate will follow the flight protocol, they are reportedly sticking with royal tradition when it comes to Prince George’s education. According to reports, the young prince will follow in his father’s footsteps and attend the all-boys school Eton College.
Though they explored a variety of options — including Kate’s coed alma mater, Marlborough College — a source told the Mail on Sunday that “all roads lead to Eton.”
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