King Charles Has "Concerns" About Prince William Flying His Family in Helicopters

"Charles insisted that he sign a formal document, acknowledging the risks involved."

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Prince William flies helicopter, King Charles is concerned
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King Charles and Prince William reportedly don't always see eye to eye. In an excerpt from his new book, Catherine, The Princess of Wales: A Biography of the Future Queen, royal expert Robert Jobson described a disagreement King Charles had with son Prince William about flying his family on helicopters.

"One recent source of disagreement is William's stubborn refusal to take his father's advice on safeguarding the succession," Jobson explained (via the Daily Mail). Importantly, Charles reportedly felt it was dangerous for William to fly his own family, which includes Prince George, who is second in line to throne. "Earlier this year, the King had raised concerns with his son," Jobson noted. However, the prince didn't necessarily receive those concerns all that well.

According to Jobson, William flat out refused to stop piloting helicopters with his family members as passengers. As a result, the king allegedly took a drastic measure: "Charles insisted that he sign a formal document, acknowledging the risks involved and taking full responsibility for his actions."

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King Charles and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge visit the RAF Rescue helicopter at RAF Valley on July 9, 2012.

King Charles visits Prince William at RAF Valley on July 9, 2012.

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Prince William is an extremely experienced helicopter pilot, having completed a Search and Rescue training course at Royal Air Force (RAF) Valley in Anglesey, Wales in 2010. However, King Charles isn't the first royal to express concern about William flying his wife and children in a helicopter.

"William had upset the late Queen when he defied her request not to pilot his family the 115 miles from Kensington Palace to Anmer Hall, their home in Norfolk," Jobson wrote in his new book. "The Queen, haunted by the 1967 crash that killed the Captain of the Queen's Flight (although no royals were on board), 'did not hold back', one aide said."

It would seem that William doesn't want to stop piloting helicopters anytime soon. Of course, that may all change once his son Prince George turns 12, the Mirror reported. As they are both important heirs to the British throne, it's likely William and George won't be allowed to fly together, so as to protect the line of succession

Amy Mackelden
Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.