2025 will be a particularly prevalent year for young Prince George, royal experts have said.

In seven months time, the 11-year-old’s life will change both irreversibly, as he’s set to be separated from both his siblings and his parents as part of a long-standing royal ban, aimed at preparing the future King for the throne.

For those in need of a reminder, George – the eldest of the Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children – is set to celebrate his 12th birthday in July of this year. The 22nd, to be precise.

And whilst he isn’t expected to sky-rocket to the top of the monarchy anytime soon, like future Kings before him, he’ll spend a vast proportion of his life preparing for the role.

George is currently second in line to the throne, behind his father William, 42, and grandfather, the current King Charles III, 76.

As was the case with his great grandmother, however – the late Queen Elizabeth II – royal family members can never be too sure when they’ll need to step up to the plate.

The late Queen was made such in 1952 – aged just 25 – when her father King George VI died suddenly.

George is second in line to the throne, behind dad William and grandfather Charles (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

He himself had previously been force to step unexpectedly into the position after his brother Edward VIII’s shock abdication.

As this demonstrates, we have no way of knowing when exactly a Prince or Princess will become King or Queen, so official preparations for Prince George will be key.

And apparently, these are set to kick off in July 2025, where – upon his 12th birthday – George will no longer be permitted to travel in the company of his parents or siblings.

As Prince William is the first in line to the throne, royal rules mean that the two members in succession can’t be together in case of a worst case scenario, such as a plane crash.

Travelling separately would mean that an heir to the throne is protected, and keeps the monarchy stable.

The Wales’ siblings will soon have to be separated for travel purposes (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Prince William, for instance, always travelled with his family, including his late mother, father, and brother until he turned 12.

King Charles’s former pilot, Graham Laurie explained to 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.”

While it isn’t set in stone, the unwritten rule has been in place for decades, and it isn’t just based on superstition, as past members of the royal family have died in plane crashes.

In 1937, Prince Philip’s sister Princess Cecilie died in an air accident. In 1942, Queen Elizabeth II’s uncle Prince George was also killed in a similar incident, as was the late Queen’s cousin, Prince William of Gloucester, in 1972.

George celebrates his 12th birthday later this year (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

However, the travel arrangements are up to the monarch’s discretion, so King Charles or Prince William could change them at any point if they wanted to.

In fact, William has previously broken tradition in 2014, when he and wife Kate were granted special permission to fly with their three children together for their Australian tour – just to make travel simpler than separating them all.

At the time, the royal press office told BBC’s Newsround: “They had to ask the Queen for permission, but she said yes.

“While there is no official rule on this, and royal heirs have traveled together in the past, it is something that the Queen has the final say on.”

Updated 18:12 11 Jul 2024 GMT+1Published 17:27 11 Jul 2024 GMT+1

Royal tradition Prince William and Kate allowed Princess Charlotte to break during King Charles’ coronation

According to the Wales’, some rules are meant to be broken

When it comes to the daily antics of the British Royal Family, there are seemingly countless rules they have to follow in order to keep the names out of the headlines.

Though there are some which make perfect sense – for example, addressing the monarch properly as ‘Your Majesty’, or bowing/curtsying before seniors of the family – others have proven to be rather obscure.

Kate Middleton defies tradition at coronation

Credit: ITV News

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I mean, in the last week alone, we’ve been blown away to know the peculiar reason why the institution isn’t allowed to eat shellfish, and why the Royal ladies must wear tights on certain occasions.

And when it comes to the children of the monarchy, it seems they have their own batch of legislation to follow.

Just yesterday, Tyla broke the news of a Royal tradition which would soon be imposed on the young Prince George upon his 12th birthday, and earlier in the week, we were shocked to learn that the high-class youngsters have to obey some pretty strict rules when it comes to playtime.

Apparently, however, some members of the Royal Family see the importance of breaking these restrictions every now and again – including the future King and Queen.

Allow us to jog your memory – last year, the Prince and Princess of Wales allowed their daughter, Princess Charlotte, to break royal tradition at King Charles III’s coronation.

Princess Charlotte broke convention with the help of her mother. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)

On 6 May 2023, Charles was officially made King, with celebrations in central London kicking off following a momentous ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

Those who watched the day unfold will remember Kate Middleton rocking up to the Abbey with her and Prince William’s second child and only daughter, Princess Charlotte.

The pair seemingly surprised some royal fanatics at the time for their choices of headwear, with many expecting the eight-year-old princess to be donning a tiara for the special occasion.

Such ornate accessories were typically worn by other women in the royal family at similar events in the past, with Lauren Kiehna, writer of The Court Jeweller, telling People: “Tiaras were worn by nearly every royal lady at the Queen’s coronation in 1953, as well lots of aristocratic women but times have certainly changed in 70 years.”

Instead of opting for a tiara, however, Princess Charlotte was seen wearing a three-dimensional leaf embroidery headpiece, which seemingly matched with her mother Kate’s.

The duo appeared to be matching during last year’s festivities. (Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The headpiece was by designer by milliner Jess Collett and Alexander McQueen and, while it contradicted earlier reports that she would go for a ‘flower crown’ as opposed to a tiara, it seemed that many viewers have been pleasantly surprised.

Delicately crafted from a silver bullion, crystal and finished with silver thread work – this accessory was definitely not your average hairband.

Sticking with the same designer, Kate wore an embroidered ivory silk dress by Alexander McQueen for last year’s ceremony, with Charlotte having looked like a mini-me in a similar style dress, also by McQueen.