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\n By Marisa Laudadio<\/span> \t\t\t\t\tSeventy-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<\/strong>, 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 \u2014 now known as Queen Elizabeth II<\/strong> \u2014 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.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tOptics 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<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tThere 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 \u2014 in the past due to fears of poisoning, and today to ensure consistency and safety, since 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<\/a><\/strong> don’t travel together, the Prince of Wales has often been in the same plane or helicopter with his heirs \u2014 Prince George<\/strong>, Princess Charlotte<\/strong> and Prince Louis<\/strong>. Royal watchers say the practice will likely shift as George gets older. <\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tFears 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<\/strong> \u2014 the sister of Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip<\/strong>, Duke of Edinburgh<\/strong> \u2014 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.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tIn 1942, during World War II, Queen Elizabeth II’s uncle Prince George, Duke of Kent, <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n
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