Prince George turns 12

[My2cents1975]

It seems like Prince George was born yesterday...time has flown and he is almost a teenager!

Prince George photo released for his 12th birthday

Well, either he or the POW won’t be travelling with their family! And the plane crashes mentioned were both in the 1940s, when flying was a much riskier business than it is now-and the Duke of Kent was on active service. All seems a bit whim-my to me.

Have you forgotten the two recent plane crashes that have been all over the news?

Helicopters don’t have the same safety record and they are used often by the RF. I think it’s prudent for them to travel independently and good practice for the future.

George is at an age when he’d probably prefer to fly separately anyway. You couldn’t pay my teen DS to sit with us!

A note on the schools, if Elton John’s son is going to Marlborough that might sway the Waleses against, because of the risk of leaks back to the Mountbatten-Windsors of Montecito.

No, it's not "whim-my" (sic).
Just because you disagree? It's not on a whim, it's planned.

Helicopters don’t have the same safety record and they are used often by the RF.

The Queen didn't like them though and only used them when necessary - for example for security reasons when visiting NI.

I'm not sure whether Charles has or had a helicopter pilot's licence. William has of course and Philip probably did, as he loved flying and was licensed to fly many types of aircraft. Andrew flew them in the Navy.

My understanding was that it was the personal preference of the Late Queen, rather than a piece of proper policy. So whim-my. But obviously I could be wrong.

I doubt whether it was just a whimsical notion of the Queen. I would expect the government and security services to have views on this too.

Yes, you are wrong because the late Queen did not determine security policy. Then, as now, it is RAVEC.

Quite! As if the Home Office, MI5 and the Met Police would say "let's leave it up to one person's whim"! 😂

Somebody downthread said it was a personal choice because there had been a couple of fatal plane crashes in the family-nothing to do with RAVEC at all. Maybe not. That was what I was going on.

I find the use of the word “whim” in this instance wrong, almost deliberately wrong.

I know. As if.

A whim is a personal, not particularly rational preference. Somebody down thread said that the heirs not travelling together in case the plane crashed was the late queen’s personal preference-so a whim. What would you say if your MIL suggested something similar? Personally, I would treat it the same way I treated my own mother’s fear of level crossings. Humour her until she died, then go on my merry way. I’m hoping the Wales’ do the same.

I think you have misunderstood.
She was not just a grandmother, but a head of state. She wasn't talking about Terry, Brenda and the kids.
I'm astonished that you don't understand that there are always security issues involved in the travel arrangements of the RF, but obviously, you don't.
I don't think there's any more to be said. It's all been explained.

Whoever that poster was they were not posting the entire picture, although not set in stone, it has been protocol for many years that the heirs to the throne do not travel together.
the reason is obvious to anyone who understands a hereditary monarchy.
it is not some whim by an elderly grandmother! , it was a reminder to the heir from the Queen.
however you feel about the monarchy it is obviously not the same as you travelling with your family, as sad as it would be if you and your entire family died in a plane crash it would not have the same impact on the country as if one of the direct lines of successions were wiped out.

this is why it was noted by the press as being unusual when Charles, William and Harry all traveled home together when the queen mother died.

The narrative is always complicated with that one!

yes , I’m not sure why such odd inconsequential things seem to warrant such discussion and handwringing!
it’s completely obvious why this “rule” exists, I’m sure it affects the children hardly at all , they have two parents only the two heirs ( William and George) are not supposed to be together, that leaves so many options 🤷‍♀️

he looks like the queen's father his great grandfather

Royal commentators used to complain about William and Charles travelling together because if something happened to them both, ‘we’d’ be ‘stuck’ with Harry.

It's the same with senior government ministers, isn't it?

I vaguely remember outrage over Blair and Brown travelling separately to a conference - a waste of government resources etc - but the more rational commentators said it was more to do with continuity planning in case of a crash.

But this is a couple of decades ago, so I may be misremembering. Anyway, it stuck in my head that senior members of the government travel separately to avoid the risk of half the Cabinet being wiped out in one stroke.

”Key man” risk management for most large enterprises means no more than 2 or 3 executives or Board members can travel on the same mode of transport (the same flight, the same train etc) even if their destination is the same. That’s perfectly normal and sensible, and a well established risk mitigation rule in the business world and public sector. It’s not a personal whim of the Queen, or anyone else.

I don’t think anything will change. If they were all traveling together before, then I think it will continue that way.

I can’t see how George turning 12 changes anything in regard to this?

Aww Happy Birthday