Trooping the Colour Highlighted the Lack of ‘Choice’ For Prince George Regarding His Royal Future
Each year, the royal family celebrates Trooping the Colour, which is meant to mark one more year of the current monarch (a birthday celebration of sorts). This year, the event held special meaning, as Kate Middleton made her first public appearance in six months at the event.
The Prince and Princess of Wales appeared on the balcony with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. But the event holds much meaning for George, even if he doesn’t realize it yet — and it paints a picture of his lack of “choice” in his royal future.
Trooping the Colour illustrates chance and choice for Prince George
The heir to the throne goes to the oldest child of the current monarch. King Charles is the oldest child of Queen Elizabeth, and William is the oldest child of Charles. So, when William and Kate gave birth to George, he immediately became a shoe-in for the throne — whether he wanted the role or not.
“Trooping, for George, isn’t just some outing that his parents had decreed that he and his brother and sister must attend … but a glimpse into what lies ahead,” royal expert Daniela Elser wrote for news.com.au. She said that Trooping the Colour was a matter of George “being forced to confront his future, a future over which he has precisely zero say.”
“Sure, he will one day inherit palaces … several billion dollars, and the seabed rights of the entire UK,” she said, “but choice? He has none.”
George stands alongside his younger sister, Princess Charlotte, and younger brother, Prince Louis, both of whom are always the stars of the show — but maybe it’s because they’re allowed to be. Louis can be silly all he wants because he will almost never take the throne. And while Charlotte will always be talked-about because she is the only daughter, her reputation and behavior will never matter as much as George’s.
Prince George could technically abdicate the throne — but likely never would
Yes, George does have a choice — but when we look at how well the royal exit went over for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, it’s pretty clear that George could permanently damage his reputation by choosing not to become king. While he could abdicate, it would likely be met with some seriously negative feedback, which would follow the prince wherever he went.
But the monarchy does seem to be constantly changing, and it’s possible that if George takes the throne in, say, 40 years, things will be even less regimented than they are today. Perhaps being king won’t come with the pressure it once did, considering it already now seems to be much less of a job than it was 100 years ago.
