Prince William will need to follow a strict rule concerning his son Prince George which will come into effect later this month when the young heir turns 12-years-old
A major royal protocol is set to come into effect on Prince George’s 12th birthday(Image: Getty)
Prince George’s 12th birthday is fast approaching and his dad Prince William is likely to be feeling the pressure of maintaining a centuries-old royal rule that will see him being separated from his eldest son for one important reason. The young heir will turn 12 on July 22nd and a historical royal tradition means that he will no longer be able to travel with his father.
As William and Kate’s oldest son, George will have to travel separately from his dad when undertaking royal duties as protocol for the Firm states that anyone over 12 years old in the line of succession cannot travel together for safety reasons. This ensures that in the tragic event that one of them was in an accident, the other would presumably be safe, protecting the line of succession from falling apart.
While many think this morbid rule applies to all forms of transport, royal expert Jennie Bond says it only applies to air travel for heirs to the throne. The former BBC royal correspondent also revealed that while the Prince of Wales may be expected to enforce this centuries-long protocol, he may also continue his shake up of the monarchy by dismissing it from time to time.
Bond told the Mirror: “This is a rule which I think applies only to flying, not to other methods of transport.
Nevertheless, it’s going to be rather annoying for the family because they are such a tight little unit and obviously enjoy travelling together, the Mirror reports.
The rule is in place to protect the line of succession(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“However, I think there will be pressure on William to stick to this rule – at least most of the time. It’s all to do with protecting the succession to the throne.”
Bond added that introducing such a strict royal rul would undoubtedly have an impact on the young price, whose future has been outlined for him since the day he was born.
Bond added that the introduction of such a strict royal rule would no doubt have an impact on the young prince, who has had his rise to the throne outlined from the day he was born.
She said: “It is of course quite a graphic illustration of how George’s destiny is mapped out and of how he is different to everyone else. And that must be quite hard for a 12-year-old to accept.
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“But he has brilliant parents in Catherine and William, and I’m sure they will explain the situation as gently as possible to all three of the children.
“In any case, I don’t think we should think of George flying on his own.
“I imagine they will just divide up as a family and as long as William and George are separate, they can make it work.”
Bond also claimed that as Prince William has already made moves to shake up and modernise the monarchy, there is a chance he could abandon the tradition altogether.
She explained: “William is very much his own man and it may be that he feels this tradition is unnecessary – especially as some statistics suggest flying is safer than driving.
“So we shall have to wait and see whether he sticks to the way things have been done in the past.”