The Royal Rule That May Separate Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Age 12

Prince George may soon face restrictions on traveling with Prince William and Princess Charlotte due to an unusual royal rule designed to protect the monarchy.

This rule was enforced when Prince William was a child. Upon turning 12 years old, he was no longer permitted to travel with his father, then the Prince of Wales, and his younger brother, the third in line to the throne at that time.

Now that George is third in line and Charlotte is fourth, the rule aims to safeguard the immediate line of succession. An accident involving all of them could jeopardize the monarchy were they to travel together on the same aircraft or other means of transportation.

The revelation about this rule emerged ahead of Prince George’s 11th birthday on July 22, as shared by King Charles’s former pilot, Graham Laurie.

Laurie told OK! magazine, “We flew all four: the Prince, the Princess, Prince William, and Prince Harry 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.”

He continued, “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.”

If history repeats itself, from next year, Prince George might be flying separately from his father and younger siblings. However, speculation suggests that Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis may not become working royals, potentially allowing George to travel with his siblings and mother.

A source, allegedly a former staffer at Buckingham and Kensington Palace, mentioned that this arrangement is part of “radical plans to reshape the British monarchy when William and Princess Kate ascend the throne.”

The insider told The Daily Beast, “The working assumption is that the younger two children will get on and do their own thing. They will be encouraged to not become working royals.”

The former royal staffer clarified that this option is not viable for Prince George. “The option isn’t there for George, of course, but the children have been kept at arm’s length from royal life. They are exposed to the minimum possible publicity, and that is a deliberate strategy to let Charlotte and Louis choose their own destiny.”

This development unfolds in a year where Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have attended only one public engagement, the Trooping the Colour, amid Kate Middleton’s ongoing cancer treatment.

Meanwhile, Prince George was allowed to attend an Aston Villa game before the Princess of Wales made a cautious but welcome return to public life in June.

Source: OK! magazine, The Daily Beast