With Prince George turning 12, an age that quietly shifts royal routines, he must now travel without his father. “William is a skilled pilot and loves flying but George must travel separately now,” a family friend told Daily Mail’s Richard Eden. This is a royal tradition, as the same rule applied to Prince William at 12.

Prince William and his family have to follow a number of rules when they travel - and one of them is that the second in line to the throne should travel separately from their family when they turn 12

Prince William was made to travel separately from his family when he turned 12 in a bid to 'safeguard the monarchy' and he will now need to decide whether Prince George will do the same