Prince William faces pressure to implement a significant alteration to his family's travel arrangements as Prince George marks his 12th birthday. The travel practices of the Prince of Wales and his household have reportedly already sparked "concern" from King Charles.

As royals, William, Princess Kate, and their trio of children - George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - must adhere to numerous travel protocols. These regulations encompass everything from abstaining from alcohol to guard against poisoning to packing mourning attire in anticipation of unexpected deaths.

One particular protocol dictates that the second in line to the throne must journey separately from relatives upon reaching 12 years of age. This measure is designed to protect the succession line.

Royal aviator Graham Laurie revealed that King Charles implemented this practice with William once he reached the landmark age. He explained that William would subsequently only accompany Prince Harry and his parents with Queen Elizabeth II's explicit consent.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Laurie revealed: "Interestingly, 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."

William, a qualified pilot, has been known to personally fly his family around, including trips to their countryside residence in Norfolk, Anmer Hall, according to author Robert Jobson. However, the King is reported to have expressed objections to this practice.

In his 2024 book 'Catherine, The Princess Of Wales: A Biography of The Future Queen', Jobson noted: "'One recent source of disagreement is William's stubborn refusal to take his father's advice on safeguarding the succession.

"Earlier this year, the King had raised concerns with his son about the wisdom of William using his helicopter to fly his entire family around the country."

Despite this, it is anticipated that William may break with Royal tradition and not fly his eldest son separately from the rest of the family. "This is going to be a bit of a conundrum for William and will make long-haul flights very tricky," former BBC Royal Correspondent Jennie Bond told the Express.

"There will be a considerable amount of pressure on them to adhere to the rule, but I'm not convinced that he'll stick to it rigidly."

Bond suspects that William will prefer to continue travelling with his entire family, although she acknowledges that this might be a "compromise" that the Prince of Wales will need to accept.

It remains uncertain whether William will choose to fly George solo on future journeys. As the Express reports, tragically, three members of the Royal Family have lost their lives in air accidents in the past.

Prince Philip's sister, Princess Cecile, tragically died in a crash in 1937, the late Queen's uncle, Prince George, Duke of Kent, passed away in 1942, and her cousin, Prince William of Gloucester, lost his life while participating in an air show in 1972.