If the royal family‘s recent family video is any indication, Prince George, 11 and Princess Charlotte, 9 have a wholesome, goofy, and incredibly close relationship. But a strict and longstanding royal rule will quite literally pull the siblings apart next year.
When Prince George turns 12 next July, he will no longer be able to travel with his little sister. It’s all part of the plan to ensure a viable line of succession. Should something happen to Prince George, the eventual heir to the British monarchy, while traveling, the hope is that Princess Charlotte, third in line to the throne, would still be OK. Catch my drift? It’s a pretty morbid rule, but Buckingham Palace is focused on keeping the line of succession safe.
This also means that Prince George won’t be able to travel with his dad, Prince William, who is second in line to the throne. Prince William had to make the same change when he turned 12 — no longer traveling with his dad, King Charles III. The King’s former pilot, Graham Laurie, indicated to OK! that Prince William and Prince Harry were not necessarily always separated in the way Prince George and Princess Charlotte are expected to be.
“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. “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 [Queen Elizabeth II]. 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.”
Perhaps King Charles will occasionally grant similar permissions for Prince George to travel alongside his dad and sister. It’s unclear who his mom Kate Middleton and his 6-year-old brother Prince Louis would fly with. It would be sad to think Prince George would be left entirely without his family.
Tragically, three members of the royal family have died in plane crashes. Prince Philip’s sister Princess Cecile in 1937, and two of the late Queen’s relatives — uncle Prince George and cousin Prince William — in 1942 and 1972 respectively.
On a lighter note, Middleton’s brother James Middleton revealed in his upcoming memoir a sweet moment that must have brought Prince George and Princess Charlotte together. James and his now-wife Alizee Thevenet spontaneously decided to stay at his parents’ house late one night — not knowing his sister and her family were there as well. He woke to the sound of giggles and Thevenet was bombarded by “all kinds of cheeky questions at 100 miles per hour” from the young royals.
