The Queen has warned Prince William not to take any more helicopter flights with Duchess Kate and their children as she fears for their safety, according to reports.
A royal expert has expressed fears that if disaster struck, Prince Harry would likely become King, leading to a scenario that the family would perhaps prefer to avoid.
The Cambridge family, which includes William, Kate, and their children George, Charlotte, and Louis, split their time between London and their Norfolk home, generally flying between the two destinations, usually by helicopter and often with the Duke piloting.
However, the Queen is said to be absolutely “terrified” that a disaster may occur leading to loss of life and a terrible tragedy that would also cause a crisis in the line of succession.
Traditionally, members of the Royal family are not supposed to travel together on aircraft just in case the unthinkable were to happen. However, the rules were relaxed for the Cambridges when Prince George was born to allow William to be able to travel and spend plenty of time with his family. The rules were then further relaxed on the birth of Charlotte and Louis.
Queen asks William to stop flying his family
But according to reports from The Sun, Queen Elizabeth has become increasingly worried about her grandson’s flights with his children, so much so that she’s struggled to sleep over the issue.
Royal expert, Russell Myers, speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Morning Britain, reported that the Queen has told William to take his hands off the controls and to split the family up while they’re traveling. The concern is that if an air disaster was to take the lives of William and his children, then the line of succession would be “obliterated.”
This scenario would mean the throne could fall to Prince Harry, which Myers described, using typical British understatement, as a “hot potato,” due to the ongoing scandal engulfing William’s brother and Meghan Markle.
In 2020, Harry and Meghan stepped away from their royal duties and moved to California, which triggered an ongoing feud between them and Prince Charles and Prince William. There is a concern in some quarters that King Harry might be damaging to the Royal Institution.
Prince William is an experienced pilot
The Sun also reports that William is a perfectly capable pilot who spent five years as an RAF search and rescue pilot and with the air ambulance. However, the Queen’s request is not seen as a slight on her grandson’s abilities but rather a fear that bad weather or mechanical failure could lead to a disaster that even an experienced pilot like William would be unable to avoid.
There have also been a number of recent near misses involving Royal helicopters. The Queen’s Sikorsky S-76 helicopter was grounded earlier this year because of a fault and bad weather. And in 2019, the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, suffered two separate incidences in one flight when her helicopter was forced to veer off course.
The news about the Queen’s concerns comes amid discussion over whether or not the Royal family will be able to have their traditional Christmas get-together at the Sandringham Estate as the Kingdom struggles to get a grip on a surge of Omicron COVID-19 cases.