Kate Middleton prepares for worst with one grim item packed in her suitcase
When it comes to travelling abroad, a number of rules exist to protect The King and other members of his family when they fly overseas – and some of them are unbelievable. Whether it is bringing their own alcohol for fear of poisoning, or not allowing two or more heirs to the throne to travel in the same plane, all the rules are in place for a reason.
There is another important royal custom which has been bought in after a previous experience left the late Queen unprepared for her monumental return to the UK. This rule now affects every member of the Royal Family whenever they travel abroad so that a similar situation doesn't arise.
Princess Elizabeth was not in the UK when she became the Queen on February 6, 1952. She was instead at the beginning of a Commonwealth tour in Kenya when her father died suddenly at Sandringham House in Norfolk from lung cancer aged 56.
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As King George VI's death was unexpected, the Queen had not packed a black dress to take with her on her official tour in case she needed to return quickly.
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As a result, when her plane landed at London Airport the following day on February 7, a suitable dress was brought aboard for her to change into before she disembarked. Ever since then, it has become a custom for royals to travel with a black dress or appropriate mourning attire in the case that someone should die while they are abroad.
This is not the only important travel rule that applies to the Royal Family. Whenever the late Queen travelled abroad she always had a supply of blood and a doctor with her at all times.
It is understood that both King Charles and Prince William follow in the late Queen's footsteps and also do this. It is also vital that two heirs to the throne do not travel in the same plane.
This rule can be broken with the monarch's permission but once a royal child turns 12 it is important that they do not travel with another heir in case a plane crash occurs and the future of the monarchy is left unstable. There have been three close members of the Royal Family to die in three separate air accidents over the years.
The first horrific accident took place in 1937 when Prince Philip’s sister, Princess Cecile, died in a crash in 1937. Cecile was eight months pregnant at the time and had given birth mid flight, as a newborn baby who had died was found among the wreckage. Cecile, along with the six other passengers and the plane crew all died instantly.
The next plane crash occurred during World War Two when The Queen’s uncle, Prince George, Duke of Kent, died in 1942. He was aged just 39 at the time and all but one of the people aboard the plane had died when the aircraft came down over Caithness in Scotland.
The final tragedy happened when The Queen's cousin, Prince William of Gloucester, died while competing in the Goodyear International Air Trophy on August 28, 1972. Shortly after take-off the wing hit a tree and flew off. The out-of-control plane flipped over and crashed into a bank before bursting into flames in front of 30,000 spectators. Prince William was identified the following day from dental records.
