The Queen's travel rule that William and Kate always broke

Prince William and Kate repeatedly broke one of the Queen's travel rules before lockdown

Will and Kate traveling with children
(Image credit: Andrew Chin/Stringer/Getty)

Prince William and Kate can no longer break one of the Queen's travel rules, due to the recent lockdown. 

·    The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge flew with their children all the time before the Covid-19 pandemic, against royal protocol.

·    Royals are advised against flying with their children, in case of an accident. However, the Queen granted Prince William and Kate special permission to fly with their newborn son, George, in 2014. 

·    In other Royal News, Meghan and Harry have quit social media and won't be using their Instagram for future work projects

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge can no longer break one of the Queen’s many royal rules, thanks to the lockdown's restrictions. 

Prince William and Kate Middleton were known to fly alongside their children in the past, a practice that goes against royal protocol. The couple are very protective of their children, and prefer to keep George, Charlotte and Louis close by when traveling long distances.  

Although it is not an official rule, senior members of the British Royal Family typically avoid flying on the same aircraft in case of an accident. The tradition has been observed by the family over the years, to protect their royal lineage if something is to go wrong on the journey. 

However, Prince William broke this tradition in 2013 when he and Kate flew to the other side of the world with Prince George. According to royal insiders, the Queen granted special permission to Prince William and Kate to fly to Australia in the same airplane as their eight-month-old son. 

Will and Kate on their first flight with baby George

Prince William and Kate on their first overseas trip with son George in 2014 

(Image credit: Hagen Hopkins / Stringer/Getty)

"While there is no official rule on this, and royal heirs have travelled together in the past, it is something that the Queen has the final say on,” a BBC reporter revealed. 

Since the rule was loosened, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been on many flights with their children in tow. The family of five were even spotted travelling on a commercial airline in 2019, much to the shock of their fellow passengers. 

"I couldn't believe my eyes. You don't expect to see royalty on a budget airliner,” an awe-struck flyer, who boarded the same FlyBe plane to Balmoral, told the Sun.  

Flying separately may seem unnecessary to most, but there’s a good reason for the Queen’s concern. With William, George, Charlotte and Louis all in line to the throne, a fatal crash would uproot the future of the Royal Family. 

Fortunately, the Queen is said to have relaxed on the issue now that air travel has become safer and faster. In the meantime, it looks like Her Majesty needn’t be too worried – her royal loved ones are unlikely to be jetsetting any time soon. 

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.


Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.