Prince William Reportedly Found It ‘Troubling’ and ‘Traumatic’ When He First Learned He Would Be King
Prince William wants to make sure that what happened to him doesn’t happen to his oldest son. William, the first son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, immediately became the future of the monarchy the moment he was born. Of course, he didn’t know that for quite a while, but a royal expert says the family didn’t properly inform William of his future role — and when he did find out, he found it “troubling” and “traumatic.”
Now, William wants to make sure his own son, Prince George — who will someday follow in his footsteps — doesn’t learn the same way he did.
Prince William reportedly wasn’t properly informed of his future role as king
When Prince William was born, his process of becoming King of the United Kingdom officially began. However, he was a child first, and his mother, Princess Diana, did everything she could to protect that innocence. Still, one royal expert says William didn’t appreciate the lack of clarity on how and when he would become king.
“I think William found it quite traumatic when he just wasn’t told when he was grown up and everyone expected him to know, and that realization and that dawning was quite troubling for him,” royal expert Monique Jessen said on the Royally Obsessed podcast, per Express.
As a result, William reportedly wanted things different for George; while George’s childhood comes first, William wanted him to realize when the time was right what exactly his future held and help him understand it. “He’s definitely going to want to do things very differently for George,” Jessen said.
Prince William and Kate Middleton want their kids to be raised in a normal environment
Back in 2016, William gave a glimpse into his thoughts on sharing George’s future with the young prince. At the time, George was just a toddler. “There’ll be a time and a place to bring George up and understand how he fits in, in the world,” William told BBC. “But right now it’s just a case of keeping a secure, stable environment around him and showing as much love as I can as a father.”
William and Kate recently relocated their children to Adelaide Cottage, further outside of town and much more private than their former home at Kensington Palace. The couple want to give their three children as normal and as private of a life as possible, given that as royals, they’ll be shoved more and more into the spotlight as they grow up.
George recently celebrated his 10th birthday, and at this point, he has likely realized that his family is a bit different from other families of the kids he goes to school with. Still, it’s unclear if he fully recognizes what his future holds. Regardless, William has vowed to talk to George about his role as king when the “time and place” are right, so he and Kate will likely ease into the conversation and introduce it to him slowly over time as George grows and matures.
