Prince George Doesn’t Carry the Same ‘Burden’ William Did, Succession Isn’t ‘Made Into a Big Deal’
He might be following in his father’s footsteps but Prince George doesn’t have the same “burden” Prince William had as a kid. It’s said the Prince of Wales makes sure there aren’t constant reminders of the line of succession for George. So much so that being in line for the throne isn’t “made into a big deal.”
Prince George is no. 2 in the line of the succession behind Prince William
Being the oldest child of William and Kate Middleton makes George his father’s heir. Meaning as far as the British royal family’s line of succession goes, he stands to take the throne after William.
George’s grandfather, King Charles III, became the leader of the royal family following Queen Elizabeth II’s death at 96 in September 2022. As a result, William and George moved up a place in the line of succession, putting them first and second, respectively.
After King Charles’s reign will be Prince William and then George. Behind George in the line of succession are the Prince and Princess of Wales’s other children. Princess Charlotte, 8, is the “spare” to her older brother’s “heir” at no. 3 in the line of succession, followed by William and Kate’s youngest, 5-year-old Prince Louis.
George knows he’ll be king yet is also aware it’s ‘a long way in the future’
There’s a marked difference between William’s and George’s childhoods. Sure, they’re both heirs to the throne. But, according to royal expert Katie Nicholl, William doesn’t want history to repeat itself with George’s upbringing in relation to the line of succession. As in, he doesn’t want it to loom large over the young royal’s childhood.
“William struggled with [knowing his destiny] when he was a young man,” the New Royals author told OK! Magazine. “And he’s very keen George doesn’t experience that same sense of burden from an early age.”
However, the line to the throne isn’t a totally foreign concept to William’s oldest son and heir. “George understands the order of succession,” Nicholl said. “And he knows that one day he will be king. But he also knows that’s a long way in the future. It’s not made into a big deal.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton do a ‘massive balancing act’ so George can experience life as a ‘normal boy’ and a ‘future monarch’
On one hand, George is an heir to the throne. On the other, he’s a soon-to-be 10-year-old boy (his birthday is July 22.). For his parents, “it’s a massive balance act,” a “palace insider” said in a People report.
“William and Kate are doing the right thing, protecting him so he can have as normal a childhood as possible,” the source said. “But he’s also dipping into duties as a future monarch.”
George, they continued, is “getting firsthand experience of what it’s like to be a royal and a monarch and firsthand experience of being a normal boy.”
So far in 2023, for example, George’s had an official role in King Charles’s coronation, stood on the Buckingham Palace balcony on numerous occasions, and made public appearances.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, another source shared, “consciously set out to achieve a sense of normality” for George, Charlotte, and Louis. So much so that they received permission from William’s grandmother, the late queen, and his father, the then-Prince of Wales, to make family their no. 1 priority.
“Royal families over the generations haven’t had the chance to get those foundations right, but they have,” a friend said.
