Prince George might be just 12 years old, but he likely knows that he’ll one day be king, and his parents – Prince William and Princess Kate – are reportedly carefully planning for his future.
Royal author Katie Nicholl told The Mirror that William, 43, knows “the public need to fall in love with George as a youngster”.
She added that he “can’t be kept under lock and key and only introduced when he’s 18”.
Prince George is second in line to the throne (Credit: Cover Images)
Prince George could have more public engagements to attend
George and his younger siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, haven’t been in the spotlight too much as children. They’re usually seen during King Charles’ official birthday parade Trooping the Colour and the royals’ Christmas walk to Church each year.
And, at mum Princess Kate’s annual festival carol concert. George and Charlotte, 10, have attended Wimbledon matches and football games, too. Both have cheered on the England national team, while the former has appeared to follow his dad in supporting Aston Villa.
But aside from these events, and one-offs like King Charles’ coronation in 2023 and the 80th anniversary celebrations for VE Day this year, they don’t make a lot of public appearances.
Indeed, George’s first solo event with his parents was a meeting with World War II veterans at a VE Day tea in May. It’s thought he’ll gradually take part in more similar engagements as he gets older.
Prince William and Kate with their children during the VE Day 80th anniversary commemorations (Credit: Cover Images)
“William doesn’t want George to have the same level of exposure he and Prince Harry had as kids,” Nicholl said. “So it has to be done very carefully.”
“How do you explain it to a 12-year-old?” royal expert Duncan Larcombe asked about George’s royal fate. “Their closeness will be invaluable as George tries to process the fact he isn’t quite normal. He’s going to be king, he will be front page news all his life. That would be hard for anyone to get their head around, let alone a boy of his age.”
The king ‘had concerns before George was born’
William has his own future as king to think about too, particularly in light of Charles’ cancer diagnosis in 2024. According to Nicholl, the crown will “never have felt closer” to William than it does at the moment, though she added that, while he naturally wants his father to be around for much longer, he’s “absolutely prepared” to be monarch.
Charles, meanwhile, reportedly had some concerns over the future of the monarchy ahead of George’s birth in 2013. According to royal author Valentine Low’s book, Power and the Palace, he was worried about what it would mean if Kate gave birth to a girl.
King Charles and Prince George with other Pages of Honour at Charles’ coronation (Credit: Cover Images)
Months before George was born in July 2013, the Succession to the Crown Bill was passed. The law meant that gender wouldn’t play a part in determining the line of succession. So, younger brothers wouldn’t overtake their elder sisters. When Prince Louis was born, for instance, he didn’t overtake Charlotte.
Per Low’s book, Charles was concerned that the royal house name of Windsor could change if he had a granddaughter who became queen and married. And, as the monarch is head of the Church of England too, he reportedly “had questions” regarding procedure if the granddaughter married a Catholic.
Read more: Prince George ‘completely different at home’ as William makes confession about his children
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