The Shocking Twist Behind Prince George’s Sudden Separation from Prince William This Month Revealed!

So, Prince George is about to hit the big 1-2 on July 22nd, and guess what? It’s not just another birthday—it’s the trigger for a royal tradition that might cramp his style a bit. The dude’s been the serious “older brother” to mischievous Louis, and a bit of a sports buddy to his dad, William, even rocking those questionable Wimbledon outfits that give folks something to chatter about. But here’s the kicker: once he turns 12, tradition dictates that he can’t travel with his old man anymore. Sounds like a royal “flight separation anxiety,” right? It’s all about safeguarding the line of succession—imagine if something went wrong and the next two heirs were in the same car or plane. A grim thought, but the royals play it safe, probably learning from some tragic family history involving travel accidents. I gotta say, it’s a bit wild to think about how a simple birthday switches up royal logistics and how it might turn their family road trips into a strategic game of solo travel. Curious about the origins and the finer details of this age-old custom? LEARN MORE.

Prince George may well not be looking forward to his 12th birthday on 22 July, as it means a royal tradition will come into place.

The eldest child of Will and Kate is approaching his teenage years and has grown up in the public eye, notably acting as the unimpressed older brother to Louis when the younger royal was full of mischief at the Trooping the Colour celebrations last year.

George loves spending time with his dad at sporting events, even if some people don’t agree with his outfit choices at Wimbledon, while he also seems to have adopted his dad’s love for Aston Villa.

However, in less than two weeks time, the duo will soon have to start travelling separately wherever they go, due to a historic custom which has long been followed by the Royal Family.

Once the second person in line to inherit the throne turns 12, they must travel separately to the current heir when undertaking any royal duties, as anyone over 12 years old in the line of succession cannot travel together.

This ensures that, in the tragic event that one was in an accident, the other would presumably be safe, unless they’re really very unlucky.

They won’t be able to travel as a family once George’s 12th birthday arrives (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

It seems that he won’t be able to travel alongside his younger siblings Louis and Charlotte either, which will make the family travel games of Uno slightly trickier.

While it might seem morbid to some of you, or even a blessing if your kids are particularly noisy in car rides, the royals don’t do this without good reason.

After all, we saw William and Harry’s mother Princess Diana die in a car crash in 1997, while Prince Philip’s sister Princess Cecilie also died in an air accident in 1937.

Queen Elizabeth II’s uncle Prince George was killed in a plane crash in 1942, as was her cousin Prince William of Gloucester in 1972, so they certainly have a tainted history when it comes to travel accidents, and it’s best to err on the side of caution when looking after the country’s future kings.

The next two in line for the throne will have to travel separately (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Recalling the arrangements in an interview with OK! Magazine, King Charles’s former pilot, Graham Laurie said: “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.”