The late Queen Elizabeth established a convention that meant the first-in-line of succession should travel separately to other family members.
Despite this, Prince William was motored to Westminster Abbey for the carol service accompanied by his wife Kate, and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The Wales’s will have wanted to put on a united display after the claims made in Omid Scobie’s Endgame, which included names of two royals embroiled in a race row over the skin colour of Prince Archie, in the Dutch publication of the book.
However, should an unlikely tragedy have taken place with the Wales’s travelling together, the prospect of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle becoming King and Queen could have become a real prospect.
King Charles has not altered the line of succession, where Harry currently stands at fifth in line to the throne.
The Duke of Sussex would become heir apparent, and the Duchess of Sussex could take the title Princess of Wales, should anything happen to the Wales’s.
Prince Andrew would also move up significantly in the pecking order.
The prospect of Harry and Meghan becoming the future King and Queen could spark a crisis for the future of the monarchy, given their continued unpopularity with the British public.
With that said, Prince William is set to revive the convention championed by his late grandmother, which requires him to make his own travel arrangements, separate to those of his family.
The safety protocol has been used for William since he was a youngster, as a direct heir to the throne, a royal insider explained.
Graham Laurie, King Charles’s former pilot, explained on his podcast ‘A Right Royal Podcast’ that Prince William used to fly on the same planes as his brother Prince Harry and mother Diana, Princess of Wales as a child, with prior written permission from Queen Elizabeth.
However, from the age of 12-years-old, the Prince of Wales had to travel separately from his family, and has not boarded the same flight as his father King Charles or Prince Harry since.
This rule has been broken on a number of occasions though, with last week’s carol service becoming the latest example, though Prince William and Princess Kate embarked on their first tour of Australia and New Zealand with direct heir Prince George, who was a nine-month old at the time.
Prince William had to get prior permission from Queen Elizabeth II before he could embark on the trip with George.
Despite skipping the provision last week, when Prince George turns 12, he will have to travel separately from other members of the royal family, with no exemptions.
The safety protocol should help avoid any unlikely tragedy from occurring, but senior royals could also call for changes to the line of succession that would see the Sussexes take the throne in the event of any disaster – a move that could strike a public backlash.
A recently published poll from MailOnline showed 61 percent of Brits backed removing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from the line of succession, a fact that won’t be lost on King Charles and Prince William.
Despite the figures, it’s unlikely that King Charles would endorse such a move, with the King reportedly keen on easing tensions with his youngest son, leaving him and Meghan Markle on the cusp of the monarchy, should anything happen to the Wales’s.
