Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Robbie Williams and his wife reveal their children fly economy while they sit in first class

No move to expensive seats ‘until they can pay to put themselves in a different part of the plane’, says Ayda Field

Benjamin Parker
Saturday 18 November 2023 06:45 EST
Comments
Robbie Williams shares footage of moment he proposed to ex-All Saints girlfriend on phone

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Robbie Williams’ wife Ayda Field has revealed the firm rule they stick to when flying with their children.

The couple, who have four children together aged between three and 11, are sticklers for not sitting with their young ones on the plane – with the kids knowing they need to head further back into the aircraft to find their seats.

Ex-Take That star Williams, known for songs such as Angels and Millennium, and actress Ms Field don’t make their way to economy, however.

“My kids fly economy whenever we fly. I turn left and they turn right. That’s terrible. I mean, people will think I’m such a d***,” Ms Field told The Sunday Times.

The reason behind this strict approach? To ensure the children stay grounded.

“My kids will know that [economy] is where they will sit in a plane until they can pay to put themselves in a different part of the plane,” she said, adding: “There’s no interest in raising brats.”

Ms Field admitted that she is the less lenient parent of the two. Williams, who is currently in Australia promoting a Netflix documentary charting his career, comes back from travelling and “becomes fun parent”, which she labels “super-annoying”.

They aren’t the first celebrity couple to draw parenting red lines over flying habits.

Gordon Ramsay previously shared that he and his wife, Tana, fly first class but insist his children sit in economy.

“They haven’t worked anywhere near hard enough to afford that,” said the Michelin-starred chef.

“I do not want them sat there with a 10-course f***ing menu with champagne.”

He repeated his stance in 2021, stating that it’s “so important” that the children “stay seriously grounded and motivated”.

“When it comes to holidays, I told them, ‘Don’t you dare waste that f***ing money flying first class from here to New York. We all f***ing take off together, we all land together. Think what else [you can] do with money,’” he said.

“When they ask if they can pop up to us for some nice food, we say, ‘No you f***ing can’t’, so now they take their own picnics on board, and they’re absolutely fine in economy. I mean, what 14-year-old needs to sit in a reclining chair?”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in