Prince William Will Reportedly Bring Back an Age-Old Royal Tradition as Prince George Gets Older

Some royal family traditions have fallen out of favor in recent years, while others continue to be a trusted way of life. In the case of Prince William and Kate Middleton, royal traditions are an important part of their family dynamic but have not stopped them from modernizing the monarchy — including the way they parent their children.

However, William is reportedly going to bring back an age-old tradition involving him and his oldest son, Prince George; it’s something he paid no mind to when George was little, but as he gets older, William and his son reportedly won’t be traveling together.

Prince William will reportedly soon stop traveling with his oldest child, Prince George

It’s royal tradition that no heirs in the family ever travel together. This means that William and his oldest child, Prince George, should never be in the same car or on the same plane. The rule has been in place for many years and was a way for the royal family to preserve its heirs — should something happen to the current monarch while traveling, the heir would not be affected. According to Express, former royal pilot Graham Laurie revealed on a podcast that Prince William traveled separately from his father and brother from the time he was 12 years old.

For the last 10 years, William has not paid much attention to this royal rule. Instead, he has continued to travel with his wife and three children, as most families do. While it was more appropriate when the kids were very young, now that George is 10, William will reportedly start traveling separately from his wife and three children in order to preserve the monarchy. William recently traveled with the whole family to attend Kate’s Christmas concert, but Express reports that this was probably one of the last times William would travel with his family by car or plane.

What happens if a tragedy strikes Prince William and Prince George?

There is a royal protocol in place for everything. While William is the first in line behind his father, and George is next behind him, there is always the tragic chance that something could happen to the father and son. If something were to happen to William and George, then Charles would continue to rule as normal, of course, but should he step down or die, then Charlotte would immediately become queen.

However, if Charlotte were not yet 18, Prince Harry would actually serve as heir apparent. This is a position that sees another ruler take the monarch’s place until the next in line turns 18. So, in theory, if this all happened when Charlotte was 16 years old, it would mean that Harry and Meghan would be king and queen for two years.

Let’s hope nothing like that ever becomes the reality; this is a big reason why the royal family doesn’t want heirs to ever commute together. With that said, the days of George and William traveling together are likely numbered.