Prince George starts counting down days for ‘harsh’ royal rule as he celebrates 11th birthday
Things could be very different for Prince George this time next year
In less than a year, Prince George will need to start following a long-standing Royal tradition.
Today, the eldest child of The Prince and Princess of Wales turns 11 years old.
To celebrate, his mother, Kate Middleton, 42, shared a lovely black-and-white photo of George in a suit on Instagram.
In her caption, she wrote: “Wishing Prince George a very happy 11th birthday today!”
This picture breaks away from the usual Royal tradition, as photos of George and his siblings, Princess Charlotte (nine) and Prince Louis (six), have always been in color.
George’s birthday comes after a busy time for the young Prince, filled with travel and public appearances.
He recently attended the men’s Euro 2024 final in Berlin and a Taylor Swift concert at Wembley Stadium with his father, Prince William.
However, next year might bring a significant change when George turns 12, as he may no longer be allowed to travel with his father.
As the second in line to the throne, there is an old Royal rule that stops them from flying together in case of an accident.
King Charles III’s former pilot, Graham Laurie, mentioned that this same rule applied to William when he turned 12 in 1994.
Laurie explained, “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 with the written permission of Her Majesty.”
“When William became 12, he would usually fly in a 125 from Northolt and we would take the 146 out with the rest.”
At the moment, it’s unclear if this rule will apply to George.
Heirs to the throne typically need the monarch’s permission to travel together, as was the case in 2014 when Prince William and his wife traveled to Australia with their children.
The Royal press office mentioned at the time, “They had to ask the Queen for permission, and she approved.”
“While there is no strict rule about this, and royal heirs have traveled together before, it ultimately depends on the Queen’s decision.”
