The Prince and Princess of Wales kept a life-changing secret from their firstborn son in order to let him enjoy a carefree childhood – before breaking the news in 2020
From the moment he was born, Prince George has been destined to be King. It’s an extraordinary situation for any young boy – and Prince William and Princess Kate have worked hard to give their firstborn as normal a childhood as they can.
The couple decided to keep George’s future role a secret from him in his early years; while George knew he was a prince, he didn’t initially know he will also ultimately be King.
It’s thought that William and Kate finally told the young boy of his destiny in the summer of 2020 when he was around seven years old. Writing in his biography Battle of Brothers, royal expert and historian Robert Lacey said: “William has not revealed to the world how and when he broke the big news to his son.
“Maybe one day George will tell us the story himself. But sometime around the boy’s seventh birthday in the summer of 2020, it is thought that his parents went into more detail about what the little prince’s life of future royal ‘service and duty’ would particularly involve.”
Their decision was said to link to “William’s unhappiness at the haphazard fashion in which the whole business of his royal destiny had buzzed around his head from the start”.
Since then, William, Kate and the whole royal family have reportedly rallied around to help George understand his position. And one of his biggest allies is his sister Charlotte. Royal experts have suggested she will be a key pillar of support for George, likening the pair to Princess Anne and King Charles.
Author Katie Nicholl explained to Entertainment Tonight: “I think you’re seeing a support act here. There’s a wonderful dynamic there, and you know, they were together at the service of thanksgiving for Prince Philip, they’ve sort of stepped into some high-profile roles when it came to Prince George carrying out his first official engagement, which was to Cardiff over the Jubilee weekend.
“William and Kate decided to include Charlotte on that, so in the same way that William always had his wingman in Harry, I think it’s rather wonderful that that is being echoed here with George and Charlotte. You’re going to see, I think, real teamwork at play here.”
George is also expected to have lessons similar to those that his father, grandfather and great-grandmother had. During his school days at Eton College, young Prince William would walk up the hill and attend tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle where he would be prepped for his future as king.
Speaking about their relationship, royal expert Lacey previously said: “There has always been a special closeness between William and the Queen, and she has taken a particular interest in him.
“When William became a teenager, she would have him at Windsor Castle and would open the state boxes and guide him through the papers. It was William’s constitutional education.”