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Topics: Prince George, Prince William, The Queen, Royal Family, News
Britt Jones
Topics: Prince George, Prince William, The Queen, Royal Family, News
Prince George is set to gain some freedom due to an ancient royal tradition which sees him separated from his family.
The oldest child of Prince William and Princess Kate, is going to turn 12 next year.
Now, it’s and age that shouldn’t make a difference to you and I, but to him, everything could be set to change.
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From July 2025 and his 12th birthday, second in line to the throne Prince George could have to travel separately on royal visits and tours.
As Prince William is the first in line to the throne, the rules mean that the two royal members in succession can't be together.
But while Prince George can’t fly with his dad, his younger siblings can.
As Jason Derulo once said: "I'm ridin' solo".
So, he’s on his own.
The tradition was put in place in case the worst should happen and a plane crashed, it would mean an heir to the throne is protected and keeps the monarchy stable.
For Prince William, he travelled with his family until he turned 12 too.
King Charles' 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.
"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."
It might seem like a silly rule, but in the 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 killed and in 1972 the late Queen's cousin, Prince William of Gloucester died.
However, King Charles or Prince William could change the rules at any point if they wanted to as it’s not set in stone and is under their own discretion.
William previously broke tradition and in 2014 when he and wife Kate were granted special permission to fly with their three children together for their Australian tour, but it was ultimately down to the Queen.
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."
Another time the pair flew together was during their Germany trip in 2017.
The late Queen Elizabeth II allegedly had reservations about them flying together in a helicopter and had some words for her grandson.
Royal biographer Robert Jobson wrote in the book, Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed: "She had sharp words with William after he defied her wishes by taking a helicopter flight to Norfolk with all his immediate family.
"She had warned him against flying with George in case of an accident, telling her grandson he always had to be aware of the succession."