Prince George turns 12 today, a milestone which according to precedent means he must no longer travel with his father, Prince William, in case of an accident.
Kensington Palace released a new photo of George in a checked shirt with a fleece bodywarmer to mark his July 22 birthday.
Prince George turns 12 today. Travel plans may be disrupted as a result.
Although Kate Middleton has often got behind the camera for such family photos, on this occasion the photograph was taken by a professional, Josh Shinner.
The arrival of the future heir to the throne’s 12th birthday triggers a little-known protocol whereby the heir to the throne and his presumptive heir will no longer be allowed to travel in the same vehicle.
Prince George in a helicopter with his parents. / Samir Hussein / Samir Hussein
One friend of the family told the Daily Mail diarist Richard Eden: “William is a skilled pilot and loves flying but George must travel separately now.”
William stopped travelling with his own father when he was 12.
Former pilot Graham Laurie told the Mail that until William was 12, Charles, Diana, William and Harry would all fly together in one helicopter. However, after William turned 12, he said: “We 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.”
This is an emotive issue in the family; the rule was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II after a royal aircraft crashed in 1967, killing its crew.
Royal author Robert Jobson has previously reported that King Charles has raised objections to William, a qualified helicopter pilot who worked as a search-and-rescue pilot in the RAF, flying his family to their country home in Norfolk.
Jobson said in a biography of Kate, “William’s stubborn refusal to take his father’s advice on safeguarding the succession” by flying with his family was a source of tension between the two.
Jobson said the late queen had also confronted William on the issue and had been “upset when he defied her,” adding that she “did not hold back” when it came to chastising her grandson.
The rules on modern royal travel were largely shaped by the events of Sept. 13, 1967, when a Royal Air Force de Havilland Devon aircraft crashed in Northern Ireland, killing all seven crew on board. Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, had flown on the aircraft shortly before the crash, prompting a review of safety protocols for royal air travel and resulting on the ban on members of the family in the direct line of succession flying together.
Queen Elizabeth II was known to be a fan of helicopter travel. / Oli Scarff / Getty Images
Elizabeth, however, was a huge fan of helicopter travel and known to quip—referring to the execution of Henry VIII’s second wife—“The chopper changed my life more than Anne Boleyn’s.”
A Kensington Palace spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on the royals’ travel arrangements.