The royal siblings will see their lives change dramatically in less than 12 months time due to a very old royal rule designed to keep the heir to the throne safe

An odd but logical Royal rule could see Prince George and his sister Princess Charlotte be separated once he turns 12.

The rule in itself isn’t new and will mean that Prince George will no longer be able to travel with his father or sister, it was something Prince William also had to endure when he turned 12 too. The rule is designed to protect the monarchy in cases of accidents and keep the line of succession safe.

Prince William is next in line to the throne should anything happen to King Charles. George is third in line and Charlotte is fourth, in the event of an accident on an aircraft or another form of transportation, it could threaten the immediate line of succession were they all to travel together – this is why the rule forbids them all from travelling together.

News of the unusual rule was revealed ahead of Prince George’s 11th birthday on 22 July by King Charles’s former pilot, Graham Laurie. He told OK! magazine: “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. When William became 12, he would fly normally in a 125 from Northolt and we would fly the 146 out with the other three on.”

It could be assumed that if the family wanted to travel together they would now need to seek permission from King Charles as the current monarch. If history is to repeat itself and the royal rule is applied it means that at merely 12 years old, George will have to travel separately to his family for the rest of his life.

Although plane crashes are rare these days, three members of the Royal family have tragically lost their lives in air accidents in the past. Prince Philip’s sister, Princess Cecile, died in a crash in 1937, the late Queen’s uncle, Prince George, Duke of Kent, died in 1942, and her cousin, Prince William of Gloucester, died while participating in an air show in 1972.

Prince William, Princess Charlotte and Prince George were seen a few months ago at the Taylor Swift concert which led to much excitement and a selfie backstage with the popstar. The father and son duo have been spotted hanging out, Prince William and George were spotted at the UEFA England match in Berlin in July.