Why Prince William and Kate Sometimes Fly Commercial Despite Royal Travel Rules

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge at the Victoria Airport on September 24, 2016 in Victoria, Canada.Credit : 

Chris Jackson/Getty

When it comes to royal travel, private jets, military aircraft and elaborate security details might come to mind. That said, it may come as a surprise that members of the British royal family have been known to fly commercial, too.

While senior royals such as King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton use chartered flights for official tours and high-security travel, there are long-standing protocols, practical considerations and even cost-saving measures that occasionally put royals on regular passenger planes.

Case in point: In 2014, Prince William had an especially ordinary experience at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport when he flew from London to Memphis for close friend Guy Pelly’s wedding. During his midwestern layover, the royal was seen enjoying pulled chicken nachos from Hub 51 and chicken wings from RJ Grunts in a private Swiss Air Lounge, PEOPLE reported at the time.

Here’s how the royal family handles air travel — and when they do (and don’t) fly commercial.

Senior royals use chartered or official aircraft for government business

For official overseas tours and state visits, senior members of the royal family frequently travel on privately chartered planes or government-approved aircraft. These arrangements are made with consideration for security, scheduling flexibility and logistical reasons, especially during tightly packed royal tours involving multiple engagements in different countries.

Much like politicians who use designated aircraft for official travel, the British royal family uses Royal Air Force (RAF) planes, as well as chartered private jets, for government-issued trips. The Royal Air Force VIP Voyager is the favored plane in the fleet, and is available to the royal family and British government officials.

According to the royal family’s annual financial report, the Sovereign Grant covers the cost of official journeys taken by the King or other members of the royal family. State and other overseas visits covered by the Sovereign Grant are determined by the FCDO and approved by the Royal Visits Committee.

In the 2025-2026 fiscal year, Prince William had the most expensive royal trip when he visited Saudi Arabia in February 2026, spending £130,000 on travel. Meanwhile, King Charles and Queen Camilla’s head of state visit to Canada in May 2025 came at no cost to the Sovereign Grant.

Prince William and Kate Middleton have flown commercial several times

While the Prince and Princess of Wales have done plenty of traveling on Royal Air Force planes, they have also flown commercial many times. For their weeklong visit to India in 2016, the royal couple opted for a British Airways flight from London to Mumbai.

They also flew commercial on Aer Lingus for their first royal tour of Ireland in 2020.

When Prince William and Kate arrived in the United States in 2022 — their first visit to the country since 2014 — they stepped off a commercial flight at Boston Logan Airport.

Royal family members have taken personal flights on budget airlines, too

While British royals have often opted to fly first-class on British Airways for personal vacations, they’ve also been seen flying on budget airlines, as well. When William and Kate flew to Scotland for Zara Tindall’s wedding in 2011, they chose Flybe and EasyJet, per the Los Angeles Times.

William and Kate also chose the now-defunct Flybe airline for a quick flight to Norwich to Aberdeen to visit Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral in 2019. The royal couple were joined by their three young children and surprised passengers when they disembarked the aircraft.

”Earlier in the flight, I’d had the feeling that someone had come on the plane that I’d recognized – but I thought it was just a footballer,” a passenger told The Sun at the time. “We landed, and people then saw two black Range Rovers on the tarmac.”

The passenger continued, “Suddenly, Will, Kate, and the kids all got up, and left. They weren’t harassed by anyone at all as they got off the plane. They just seemed like a family traveling together to be honest. No one saw them get on the plane either. It was amazing how they did it — they must have slipped on quietly, after people were already seated.”

Queen Elizabeth took a rare British Airways flight in 1989

While Queen Elizabeth flew more than 1 million air miles during her reign, she rarely flew commercial.

That said, when she did fly, there were specific instructions for how to treat her. In 2024, a former British Airways VIP flight attendant’s memorabilia went up for auction. Royal followers were lucky enough to see “confidential instructions [from 1989] on how to care for our late queen and Prince Philip—right down to the sweets Her Majesty preferred on take-off,” auction house owner Charles Hanson shared in a release.

The instructions also noted her penchant for Velamints, her own pillows and martinis. Additionally, Hanson shared that “if Her Majesty was asleep prior to landing, cabin crew were instructed not to disturb her. She should be left in her bed.”

There are special rules about royal heirs traveling together

One of the best-known royal travel protocols involves heirs to the throne. Traditionally, direct heirs are discouraged from traveling together once children reach a certain age. This precaution was designed to protect the line of succession in the event of an accident.

In 2023, King Charles’ former pilot, Graham Laurie, recalled witnessing this unofficial royal rule when Prince William turned 12 on A Right Royal Podcast. “Interestingly, we flew all four: the Prince [Charles], the Princess [Diana], Prince William and Prince Harry, up until Prince William was 12 years old. 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,” he said, referring to then-monarch Queen Elizabeth.

Today, that means that Prince William and his teenage son Prince George are recommended to travel separately. However, modern royal travel decisions are often made on a case-by-case basis.