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Can Prince George and His Siblings Fly on a Plane Together? Inside the Royal Family’s Rule
Coordinating family travel plans can be difficult enough to begin with — but this is especially true for members of the British royal family. A long-standing rule has prevented heirs to the throne from flying together for decades. Kate Middleton and Prince William’s eldest son, Prince George, will feel the effects of the rule in 2025 and be unable to travel on a plane with his parents and younger siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, according to a former royal pilot.
What Is the Royal Family’s Travel Rule?
The British royal family’s unwritten travel rule is similar to the president and vice president of the United States typically flying separately on Air Force One and Air Force Two. While royal family members are allowed to travel together, those who are heirs to the throne are advised not to fly together in the event that a plane crash should occur, according to multiple reports.
For example, the next two royal family members in line to take the throne after King Charles III are William and George, so they should not fly together. However, as former royal pilot Graham Laurie explained on the November 17, 2024, episode of Hello!’s “A Right Royal” podcast, there are exceptions to the rule.
Can Prince George and His Siblings Fly on a Plane Together?
As royal watchers may recall, William and George traveled via plane together to Australia in 2014, Canada in 2016 and Germany in 2017. However, Graham said on the podcast that this could change once George turns 12 years old in 2025. At that point, he may no longer be allowed to travel with his parents and younger siblings and instead will have to fly separately.
“Up until [age 12], they probably thought it will be too much for him traveling on his own,” Graham explained. “But nevertheless, that’s what they did.”
Graham added that security is a huge reason behind the rule. He recalled that his aircraft was once painted red, white and blue, but the color scheme was changed in 2002 “to look more like a normal airliner.”
King Charles and Prince William Can’t Fly Together
George is certainly not the only royal to have been affected by this rule. Graham recalled that he once transported King Charles, Princess Diana, Prince William and Prince Harry on family trips together, but this changed when the Prince of Wales turned 12 years old.
“The ones I did [holiday flights] mainly were the ones when the Wales’ went to the Mediterranean,” he recalled. “But interestingly, we flew all four: the [king], the princess, Prince William and Prince Harry, up until when 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.”
Charles is still not allowed to fly with William today, according to Graham.
The Royal Family’s Travel Rule Could Change
The former royal pilot revealed that it’s possible the rule will relax a bit in the future due to the cost of having to fly heirs to the throne separately.
“I know the King is trying to cut down cost and is aware of travel, but I think the safety side is still paramount,” Graham concluded.
