Prince George soon to be separated from Prince William and Princess Charlotte as royal ban is enforced

He may only be 11 years of age, but being second in line to the British throne means things are about to get serious for little Prince George.

In fact, within the next eight months, the young royal will likely be separated from his much-loved siblings and parents in one heartbreaking respect as part of a long-standing tradition which helps future Kings prepare for the role.

Prince George is the eldest of Prince William and Princess Kate's children, followed closely by Princess Charlotte, nine, and their youngest, Prince Louis, six.

And while no one is expecting the youngster to ascend to the top of the monarchy anytime soon - being that his own father is only 42, and his grandfather King Charles only rose to the role in 2022 - you can never be too certain when a Royal will be expected to step up to the plate.

Think of the late Queen Elizabeth II, for example - Charles' mother - who got to the throne aged just 25.

And her father, George VI, stepped in suddenly after his brother Edward VIII's shock abdication.

What we're basically saying is, there's no way of knowing when exactly a Prince or Princess will become King or Queen, and as such, Prince George's official preparations are set to kick off in July 2025, when he celebrates his 12th birthday.

The Wales' siblings won't be able to travel together from July 2025 (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Part of these traditions, however, will see the Prince travelling across the globe more frequently in the coming years, all the time separated from both his younger siblings and his parents.

As Prince William is the first in line to the throne, royal rules mean that the two members in succession can't be together in case of a worst case scenario, such as a plane crash.

Travelling separately would mean that an heir to the throne is protected, and keeps the monarchy stable.

Prince William, for instance, 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.

George also won't be able to travel with his father (Samir Hussein/WireImage)

"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."

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 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 also killed in a similar incident, as was the late Queen's cousin, Prince William of Gloucester, in 1972.

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.

The rule is part of Royal tradition (Jonathan Brady - Pool/Getty Images)

In fact, William has previously broken tradition in 2014, when he and wife Kate were granted special permission to fly with their three children together for their Australian tour - 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."