There's a royal rule when Prince George will turn 12 in 2025, a royal travel rule will be enforced on him. “There is an important royal custom in place to secure the future of the monarchy by restricting who can travel together on the same plane,” per The Mirror UK. The rule has been there for decades. This kind of rule may be morbid but practical.

At 10 years old, George is the eldest child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and he is second in line to the British throne. His younger sister, Princess Charlotte, follows as third in the line of succession. Born on July 22, 2013, George will celebrate his 11th birthday this month.

A decade old Royal Family's travel rule in play

A longstanding royal rule restricts which members of the royal family can travel together on the same plane. Currently, Prince William, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte are permitted to travel together. However, this arrangement is expected to change when George turns 12 in July 2025.

Graham Laurie, King Charles's former pilot, explained that this rule led to Prince William traveling separately from his father after turning 12 in 1994. Laurie recounted to OK!, “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.”

Royals and plane crash

The rule serves to increase the level of security of the royal heirs. While it can be done with the consent of the monarch, such exceptions are frowned upon, mainly to avoid future crises of succession in the event of the monarch’s death in a plane crash.

Historically, three royals have perished in plane crashes: Prince Philip's sister, Princess Cecilie, in 1937; the late Queen's uncle, Prince George, Duke of Kent, in 1942; and her cousin, Prince William of Gloucester, in 1972.

Now it seems like Prince George will soon be required to fly on a different plane from Prince William, Kate Middleton, and his younger siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

It remains possible that Prince William might fly separately, allowing George to travel with his mother and siblings. Plus, the arrangements could see the Prince of Wales travelling with either Charlotte or Louis, or both, while George flies with Kate.