Prince George’s potential separation from Prince William could be a "sensible precaution" given their importance to the royal line of succession, a royal commentator has claimed.
The claim comes as the young royal celebrated his 12th birthday on Tuesday, meaning a longstanding rule may come into play.
The rule would stipulate that George would be separated from his father, Prince William, when using certain forms of transport, particularly flying.
George is second in line to the throne behind William, who will one day inherit the throne from King Charles.
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|Prince George is set to be separated from Prince William during travel to protect the royal line of succession
Keeping the immediate heirs apart while travelling is intended to protect the Royal Family from instability, should a tragic accident occur.
William was affected by the rule when he turned 12 in 1994, which saw him flying in a different plane for his father – at the time the Prince of Wales.
The monarch can give permission to bend the rule but it is usually discouraged.
Until recently, William and his three children travelled together but splitting their travel arrangements may now be "sensible, given what’s at stake," according to veteran royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.
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|Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams believed the longstanding rule was 'sensible given what’s at stake'
"If anything were to happen, heaven forbid, it would only seem a sensible precaution," he explained.
Royal commentator Robert Jobson told GB News last year that Princess Kate and Prince William could become "frustrated" with George being forced to travel separately.
"I can understand why there was frustration because if you're going to separately get one child to take a different route, it can be quite awkward if you're going on holidays and things like that," he said.
However, Fitzwilliams believed that the potential separation during travel would not phase the young Prince George nor his parents and siblings, who would ultimately appreciate the necessity of the new arrangement.
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|William began travelling separate from his father, then the Prince of Wales, when he turned 12 in 1994
"If there's a rule for particular age or something that's usually done, there's a reason for it," he typified the duty focused royal thinking.
"Those rules do still make sense; it would be sensible to abide by them," he added.
Previously, King Charles had raised the issue of the rule before George travelling with William.
"The fact that the King has raised it before George was 12, I think, is important," Jobson said in 2024.
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|Fitzwilliams believed the Waleses would ultimately recognise the necessity of the longstanding rule
"When you've had a cancer diagnosis like the King has had and the treatment he's had, he's obviously thinking about his own mortality and the future of the monarchy.
"And that involves Prince George very much so, left, right and centre. So I think that it's quite important," he explained.
It has been suggested that William may fly on his own while Kate travels with George, Charlotte and Louis in accordance with the longstanding rule.
Alternatively, William could fly with either Charlotte or Louis, or both of them, while Kate accompanies George.