Prince William’s strict travel ban that started age 12 – and George will soon be affected

When it comes to travelling abroad, a number of important rules exist to protect the King and other members of his family when they fly overseas – some of which are truly surprising.

Whether it is bringing their own alcoholic drinks for fears of being poisoned or always packing a black dress in case they are required to return quickly because of a death, all the rules are in place for a reason. There is another important royal custom has been bought in to protect the future of the monarchy as it places restrictions on who can travel together in the same plane. At present, Prince William is allowed to fly with his three young children as they are small, but this will change in the years to come.

Speaking on HELLO Magazine’s ‘A Right Royal Podcast’, King Charles’ former pilot, Graham Laurie, opened up about the rule and how it affected a young Prince William when he turned 12 in 1994. He told the hosts: “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. 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.”

In the next two years, Prince George, 10, will also be affected by this rule and he will be expected to fly separately from his father. It remains to be seen if George will continue to travel with his mother and siblings while his father uses a different plane or if the second-in-line to the throne will be the one to fly solo.

The unique restriction is in place to protect the heirs to the throne. While the rule can be broken with the monarch’s permission, it is discouraged to have two or more direct heirs travelling in the same plane as in the event of a crash, the future of the monarchy would be immediately unstable.

While plane crashes rarely happen nowadays, three royals have previously lost their lives in air accidents. Prince Philip’s sister, Princess Cecile died in a crash in 1937, the late Queen’s uncle Prince George, Duke of Kent died in 1942 and her cousin, Prince William of Gloucester died while competing in an air show in 1972.

This is not the only important travel rule that applies to the Royal Family. Much like his mother before him, the King always has a supply of blood and a doctor with him at all times. Another crucial item that every royal woman takes with them is a black dress. When her father, King George VI, died in 1952, the Queen was in Kenya on a royal tour and did not have a black dress packed for her sudden return to the UK. When her plane landed at London Airport, a suitable dress was brought aboard for her to change into before she disembarked.