The Queen, Prince William and helicopters...

[Nige321]

I've seen this story pop up on various news outlets during the week, local and national...
Norfolk live for instance...

Prince William has been urged by the Queen not to fly helicopters with Kate Middleton and their children, as she's "terrified" an accident could happen and threaten the line of succession.

An unwritten rule already prevents senior royals from flying together just in case disaster strikes, however the protocol was relaxed as Prince William's family grew bigger and they began to split their time between London and Norfolk.

The frequent flights have left Her Majesty in fear of disaster striking while William and his son George are both in the air.
But a source close to the Queen said she is "terrified" something could go wrong and has now spoken to William about her worries, reports the Sun.

The Queen's concerns come after two near-misses in one royal helicopter have led to a major probe being launched.
A source close to the Queen claimed: "Her Majesty has told close friends and courtiers that she would like William to stop flying himself, particularly in bad weather, as helicopters are not the safest form of transport.

"It keeps the Queen awake at night and she is understandably very worried.
"She knows William is a capable pilot but does not think it is worth the risk for all five of them to carry on flying together and can’t imagine what would happen. It would spark a constitutional crisis."

When it was disclosed last week that the Queen was having 'sleepless nights' over Prince William flying his wife and their children around in a helicopter, there was bemusement as to why she had become so worried.

Now, however, a source close to the monarch has revealed the secret reason for her fear: she's still haunted by a helicopter accident that killed the Captain of the Queen's Flight and three others.

'It put her off completely,' the source tells me. 'That's why she's so worried about William and his family.'
The source says the Queen, who is at Windsor Castle, will be 'having words' with the Duke of Cambridge when he returns from Norfolk, where he's spending Christmas with Catherine and their three children.

The Queen was having 'sleepless nights' over Prince William flying his wife and their children around in a helicopter
The Queen is reportedly still haunted by a helicopter accident that killed the Captain of the Queen's Flight and three others

It was in December 1967 that the Captain of the Queen's Flight, Air Commodore John Blount, was killed when he was flying in a Westland Whirlwind that crashed near Newbury, Berkshire.
Three other members of the Flight were killed.
An inquest blamed metal fatigue in the gearbox. No royal was on board but Prince Philip had recently been flying the same aircraft. The Queen was so upset that she refused to contemplate rotary air travel altogether.
As a result, she did not set foot in a helicopter until, finally, she had no choice.

During her 1977 Silver Jubilee, as my colleague Robert Hardman revealed in his book Our Queen, she was determined to visit all parts of her kingdom.
Her ministers told her that if she wanted to visit Northern Ireland, the only safe way was in a chopper. She obliged, but with a heavy heart.
And to this day, she dislikes them, especially in winter, and will not board one after dark.

Blount was from a distinguished RAF family.
But by the time his relation, James, was choosing a career, he opted for the Army, prior to a career in pop music — when he dropped the 'o' from the family name.