By Marisa Laudadio
11:08am PST, Feb 17, 2026
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Seventy-four years ago, in February 1952, Princess Elizabeth was on a Commonwealth tour representing the crown. During a stop in Kenya, she learned that her father, King George VI, had died at age 56 at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England. Though he'd quietly been battling lung cancer, his death was unexpected, and his heir — now known as Queen Elizabeth II — had no mourning clothes with her. Upon landing in London, she had to wait on her plane for courtiers to bring a black dress aboard so she could disembark in appropriate attire.
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Optics are wildly important for the blue bloods, so now, every member of the royal family packs a black ensemble in their suitcase when traveling. This rule ensures that if King Charles III or another senior royal passes away while a family member is abroad, they can step off the plane back in the U.K. in an appropriate mourning look. But that's hardly the only unusual travel rule Britain's most famous family follows.
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There are many travel protocols in place for Britain's monarch and other senior royals. For example, when King Charles III travels to countries where the blood supply might be unreliable, courtiers ensure he has his own safe supply packed in medical baggage that goes with him in case of an emergency. Royals have historically brought their own alcohol and spirits — in the past due to fears of poisoning, and today to ensure consistency and safety, because no one would want a royal to suffer an upset stomach during an important diplomatic tour. There's also a long-standing unwritten rule that heirs don't fly on the same plane. Though Charles and son
Prince William don't travel together, the Prince of Wales has often been in the same plane or helicopter with his heirs —
Prince George,
Princess Charlotte and
Prince Louis. Royal watchers say the practice will likely shift as George gets older.
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Fears of an air accident aren't unfounded. Three British royals have died in plane crashes in the last century. In 1937, eight-months-pregnant Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark — the sister of Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh — perished when her aircraft struck a factory chimney while flying in thick fog in Belgium. Reports indicated she'd given birth mid-flight, as a newborn's remains were also found among the wreckage.
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In 1942, during World War II, Queen Elizabeth II's uncle Prince George, Duke of Kent, died when a Royal Air Force Short S.25 Sunderland flying boat crashed in the Scottish Highlands, killing 14 of the 15 people on board.
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In 1972, Queen Elizabeth II's cousin
Prince William of Gloucester died in the Goodyear International Air Trophy flying competition. Not long after take-off, the wing of his aircraft hit a tree and flew off, leading the plane to flip and crash in front of 30,000 spectators.
