Prince William’s helicopter use has come up a few times in the royal family’s lore.
While the Prince of Wales’ safety is paramount, royal biographer Robert Jobson is claiming that William’s helicopter debacle might just be related to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The Daily Mail published an excerpt from Jobson’s upcoming book, The Windsor Legacy, on Tuesday, November 4. Jobson revisits the issues both King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II had with William’s flying habit.
“Had there been a fatal accident, Harry would have immediately become heir to the throne,” the excerpt reads. “No one can prevent William from flying with his family if he wants to, but Charles wanted to drive his point home.”
William and his three children with wife Princess Kate Middleton are next in line for the throne behind Charles, 76. However, if something were to happen to William and his kids, the line of succession states that Harry would become king.
Following Charles’ February 2024 cancer diagnosis, he reportedly “revisited the issue” and had one of his senior aides “obtain William’s written acknowledgement of the risks” that came with the helicopter. The Prince of Wales “refused,” according to the book.
Us Weekly has reached out to Kensington Palace for comment.
Jobson previously wrote about the helicopter issue in his 2024 book Catherine, the Princess of Wales, reiterating that Charles raised concerns with William “piloting his helicopter to fly his entire family around.” He also wrote that the request William “curb his helicopter use” came after Charles’ diagnosis.
Jobson further claimed that the royal family’s issues with William flying originated from the late Elizabeth.
“William had previously upset the late Queen Elizabeth when he defied her by piloting his entire family the 115 miles from Kensington Palace to Anmer Hall in Norfolk,” Jobson wrote, noting that the queen’s fear came from a 1967 crash that killed her flight captain. “[Elizabeth] later cautioned William, particularly about flying with his heir Prince George, telling her grandson that he should always be aware of the line of succession.”
The queen thought it was “an unnecessary risk,” the book claimed, and she initially “privately voiced her concern.”
Prince George appears to be following in his father, Prince William’s footsteps. An eyewitness revealed to U.K.’s The Sun that George, 11, had completed his first flying lesson at the Berkshire airfield in England last week, just before he headed back to school. The publication reported that William, 42, and his wife, Princess Kate Middleton […]
Jobson told Us exclusively last year that William is “defying” both the current king and late queen’s concerns.
“You cannot fly with all your family,” Jobson said at the time. “And he did. He defied her. And then the king has said exactly the same.”
The issue of flying with the family has allegedly reached William and Kate’s kids. It was widely reported in July that William and his eldest son, Prince George, would no longer be able to travel together.
Charles’s former pilot Graham Laurie shared in a past interview that the protocol kicked in when William turned 12, and the same would happen for his son.
“After that, he had to have a separate aircraft and we could only fly all four together when they were young with the written permission of Her Majesty,” Laurie explained. “When William became 12, he would fly normally in a 125 from Northolt and we would fly the 146 out with the other three on.”
The Windsor Legacy will be released in January 2026.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.usmagazine.com ’
