Prince George’s Ability to Travel with His Family Could Be Affected Imminently

• Prince George turns 12 years old on July 22—and could immediately be affected by a “rather annoying” royal rule surrounding travel.
• Protocol dictates that George can no longer fly with his father, Prince William, or his grandfather, King Charles, in the event that disaster should strike and affect the line of succession to the throne.
• It remains to be seen whether the Prince and Princess of Wales will adopt this rule when it comes to their eldest son, as they’ve been known to put their kids above protocol in the past.

When it comes to so-called royal protocol, the decision to implement it or not ultimately falls to the monarch—but, over the course of time, there have been certain rules that are followed by royals, including one lesser-known rule that happens when an heir to the throne turns 12 years old, as Prince George will do next week on July 22.

The rule states that, when a future king or queen turns 12 years old, he or she can no longer fly with the monarch or other heirs to the throne—so, if this protocol is followed in George’s case, that means he can no longer fly with his father, Prince William (who is first in line to the throne), or his grandfather, King Charles, as a catastrophe could suddenly and dramatically shift the line of succession and put the monarchy in jeopardy. The Prince and Princess of Wales have been known to put their children George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis above royal protocol, seeking to provide as normal a childhood as possible for them, despite being raised in the royal fishbowl. It remains to be seen whether William and George will continue to fly together, as they have on official trips and, more frequently, for private ones.

Prince William and Prince George on May 5, 2025.

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George turns 12 years old on Tuesday—not just his final year as a preteen, but also significant in terms of this travel rule. When William himself turned 12 years old in 1994, he no longer flew with his father, the former Prince Charles, according to Charles’s former pilot Graham Laurie.

“Interestingly, we flew all four—the prince [Charles], the princess [Diana], Prince William, and Prince Harry, up until Prince William was 12 years old,” Laurie said in a 2023 episode of “A Right Royal Podcast.”

“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 added (referring to Queen Elizabeth).

Princess Diana, Prince Harry, Prince William, and Prince Charles in August 1994.

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Thankfully, air disasters involving royals are uncommon—but happened in Queen Elizabeth’s lifetime, no doubt shaping her fear around tragedy striking in the air again. Her husband Prince Philip’s sister, Princess Cecile, died in a plane crash in 1937; the late Queen’s uncle Prince George, Duke of Kent, died in 1942 in the same manner, and Her late Majesty’s cousin, Prince William of Gloucester, died while competing in an air show in 1972. The Queen also reportedly took issue with William flying helicopters, particularly with his wife and kids aboard. The Sun reported that she was kept awake at night worrying about this, even though William was a trained pilot.

“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,” the outlet reported. “It would spark a constitutional crisis.”

Laurie said that, after William turned 12, “he would fly normally in a 125 from Northolt, and we would fly the 146 out with the other three on”—meaning that it was William who often flew alone, and not Charles. It remains to be seen—if this rule is even followed at all—whether George will go solo or, perhaps more likely, that William will fly alone while George joins the rest of his siblings and his mom on flights.

Prince William, Prince George, Prince Louis, Princess Kate, and Princess Charlotte attend the Christmas morning service on December 25, 2024.

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Though this rule can be overridden with the written permission of the King, “it is discouraged since, in the event of a crash, the future of the monarchy would be immediately unstable,” according to The Mirror.

Laurie, for his part, supports continuing this protocol into the next generation: “I know the King is trying to cut down cost and is aware of travel, but I think the safety side is still paramount,” he said.

Prince George, Prince William, and Kate Middleton on May 5, 2025.

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The 12-year-old heir to the throne rule in regards to flying isn’t the only travel-specific rule when it comes to royal protocol—for example, The Mirror reported that the monarch always travels with a supply of blood and a doctor with him at all times, just in case, and royals must also travel with a black mourning outfit, just in case tragedy should occur while they’re away.

Of the rule that could affect George as soon as next week, “it’s going to be rather annoying for the family because they are such a tight little unit and obviously enjoy traveling together,” former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told The Mirror. “However, I think there will be pressure on William to stick to this rule—at least most of the time. It’s all to do with protecting the succession to the throne.”

Prince George and Prince William on April 9, 2025.

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“It is, of course, quite a graphic illustration of how George’s destiny is mapped out and of how he is different to everyone else,” Bond continued. “And that must be quite hard for a 12-year-old to accept. But he has brilliant parents in Catherine and William, and I’m sure they will explain the situation as gently as possible to all three of the children. In any case, I don’t think we should think of George flying on his own. I imagine they will just divide up as a family and, as long as William and George are separate, they can make it work.”

Of trying to give George as normal a childhood despite protocols like this, “It’s a massive balancing act,” a source told People. “William and Kate are doing the right thing, protecting him so he can have as normal a childhood as possible, but he’s also dipping into duties as a future monarch.”

Prince George on July 13, 2025.

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“William is very much his own man, and it may be that he feels this tradition is unnecessary—especially as some statistics suggest flying is safer than driving,” Bond said. “So we shall have to wait and see whether he sticks to the way things have been done in the past.”