The surprisingly normal way Prince William and Kate Middleton travel to Balmoral with their family that breaks royal protocol

The family have just arrived in Scotland for their Summer holidays

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
(Image credit: Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Prince William and Kate Middleton's preferred form of transport to get their family to Balmoral Castle in Scotland is a surprising departure from normal royal standards and actually breaks royal protocol. 


The Royal Family are on holiday. Their annual trip to Balmoral is well underway as King Charles and Queen Camilla host the family at the stunning Scotland property for the first time since the Queen's death last year. 

The trip is set to be filled with fun and will allow the family to let their hair down, even though there is reportedly some tension between William and Kate and the rest of their family over their recent two-month break from royal duties. 

But before the family can all be together, partaking in many fun and long-standing traditions during their Scottish stay, everyone has to first get to Scotland and William and Kate's preferred mode of transport is eco-friendly, down-to-earth and also breaks royal protocol. 

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

(Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Last year, Kate was spotted on an economy flight to Scotland with Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, four, sitting beside her. A royal fan who was on the same flight as the Princess took to TikTok after they had landed to share her exciting experience. 

In the video which showed no glimpse of Kate or her kids to respect their privacy, the passenger recounted her story. She said, "[Kate] got up halfway through the flight to get her daughter's iPad. And yes she was stunning, even gave me a smile while looking back at the row behind her to talk to her son."

While Kate battled the airport, Prince William and Prince George, ten, travelled separately from the rest of the family, breaking the strict royal rule that two heirs to the throne should never travel together. However, William has bended this rule on multiple occasions since Prince George was born and it doesn't seem likely that he'll start to follow the royal rule anytime soon as he continues to prioritise his children over his royal duties.

Prince William and Prince George

(Image credit: Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

No matter how the Royal Family are travelling, they're doing it in style as, according to reports in HELLO! Magazine, the royals all have monogrammed luggage. In 2011 during a trip to Australia, the publication reports that Prince William was carrying luggage marked with the letter W and a crown, while Princess Charlotte was recently spotted with an exact copy of the bag marked instead with a C.

Kate doesn't appear to be a fan of the formal luggage style and reportedly has a collection of different bags and suitcases to chose from depending on her mood. But, whichever bags she and her family are carrying, you can be sure that they're organised as the royal reportedly has an organised luggage tag system with a different coloured label for each family member.

News writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.