Prince George has had a summer of fun with his parents and siblings. School is not set to start for another couple of weeks, and as the future young king has gotten used to going to school at Lambrook, in a few years, he will most likely follow in his father’s footsteps and attend the prestigious school of Eton.
By now, Prince George has gotten to know his future job, at least to some extent. He’s already appeared with his family members at several significant royal events, including having an honorary role as Page of Honor at the coronation of his grandfather, King Charles. Moreover, at their Easter Service earlier this year, George took on a new role within his family’s pecking order, and an expert claims this demonstrates that the young prince taking on more responsibility.
When Prince George was born, the media interest and excitement from millions of people in the UK and abroad was huge. The birth of a future king is, of course, a big thing for a monarchy, and everything went according to plan. But a detail on George’s birth certificate made headlines, which reportedly concerned Kate.
Prince George may only be ten, but his parents are slowly letting him know what his future will hold. He has been seen attending many royal duties with his parents. He has even been allowed to practice his waving technique towards members of the public from the horse carriage several times while passing through the streets of London.
Prince George
In the end, however, it’s also important to remember that he is a child. Even though he is born into a world that includes nannies, a lot of money, and special treatment, he does everything that any child loves. That obviously includes birthday celebrations, which, for any child, is a big happening.
The royals have a tradition of keeping their celebrations private and do not disclose details. The same went for when Prince George turned ten on July 22.
“They’ve always been intensely secretive and private about his birthday,” royal commentator Duncan Larcombe told Fox. “They’ve never released anything… in terms of a birthday party, and what they do is shrouded in secrecy.”
“We are starting to see [George] a lot more in public these days, but they’re still very keen on keeping him private property rather than public property,” he added.
“His parents have been incredibly hands-on, and they’ve followed a very similar upbringing Kate would have had with two siblings, a close-knit family. They’re focusing very much on the value of the family. They’ve built quite a unique family unit.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton have reportedly already given Prince George some insights into his future. The fact that he’s now joining his parents on several royal engagements and major events gives the young prince some indication as to what his job may be in the future, despite him still having many years of education before that day will come.
“One day, Prince George will ascend the throne as king. But even though his parents have given him some information about what will be expected of him as a working royal, they wanted to touch on the subject at a controlled moment of their choice,” according to royal author Robert Lacey.
Prince George is getting a “normal family upbringing”
The author of Battle of Brothers claimed that discussions with George about his future took place “sometime around” his 7th birthday.
“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”, Robert wrote in an updated version of his book, according to the Daily Mail.
“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.”
Lacey continued: “William’s aim as a father, the prince stressed, was to give his son ‘a normal family upbringing’, enabling the monarchy ‘to stay relevant and keep up with modern times.’”
As King Charles took the reins after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, a new era of the British monarchy began. Not only with a new monarch, but also a more modern royal family.
According to the Express, Charles was said to have plans to reduce the monarchy to a team of just seven key members, all senior working royals, and the fact that he was the first monarch not to be homeschooled showed that the monarchy was making progress.
Prince William will one day be king; after him, it’s Prince George’s turn to sit on the throne. The young heir is already projected to make history in one field; to be the tallest king ever. Royal fans have reacted to pictures of George now becoming quite tall, which might not be a surprise considering the respective heights of his parents. William stands at 6ft 3in, and Kate at 5ft 9in.
We might even get a new royal record by the time George is fully grown. On paper, King Edward IV is the tallest king in English history, standing at 6ft 4 ½in.
Shows off a “grown up” dynamic
Although George might break the tallest-king-ever record, another thing could make him a unique ruler. A long-time friend of Prince William told the Daily Mail that George may skip the long-lived tradition of serving in the army. If that will be the case, he will become the first male heir to the throne in centuries not to go through military training before becoming king.
King Charles served in the British Navy and British Army before becoming monarch. Prince William graduated from Royal Air Force College Cranwell and later joined the RAF Search and Rescue Force for two years, serving as an air ambulance pilot.
“In theory, there is nothing to stop George from pursuing a career as an astronaut, for example, if that’s what he wants, and then becoming king later. The rules are different now, he wouldn’t necessarily have to follow the old formula of going into the military and then royal life,” the source told the Mail.
The fact that Prince George is taking on more responsibility by being on royal duty might be one thing. But body language expert Judi James says there is more than meets the eye.
When the royal family stepped out to attend Easter Service, Prince George’s behavior had changed into what James called a “grown-up” dynamic.
The prince walked in front of his family, leading the way, compared to last year when he stood between his parents.
“At this Easter service, there was a status step-up from George, who walked ahead to lead his family into the service, showing a newly grown-up dynamic from the five Waleses when it comes to royal outing,” Judi James told the Daily Mail.
“George used to be the one holding his father’s hand and looking rather timid, but here it was, Charlotte walking in alongside William while Kate held Louis’s hand beside them. Even this family pecking order had its upgrade, though, as Charlotte turned to look at her younger brother with what looked like a small checking gesture and then a beam of pride at his impeccable behavior.
Prince George’s birth certificate is making headlines
The body language expert added, “George was the first of their party out after the service, shaking hands without any prompting.”
Time goes by fast, and it feels like it was only yesterday – July 22, 2013 – that Prince William and Kate Middleton stood on the steps of St. Mary’s Hospital in London, announcing they had welcomed their firstborn son. Since that day, royal fans in the entire nation have been eager to see more of the young prince and follow his progress toward becoming the next generation of working royals.
At the same time, as mentioned earlier, it’s important to remember that George is just like any other child, not having chosen life as a young royal and deserving of privacy, far away from the scrutiny of the British tabloid press. Therefore, William and Kate have been very protective of their children’s privacy.
No matter if you’re royal or not, a birth certificate is required when a child is born. The essential record documents a person’s birth, and of course, the same went for Prince George.
A while back, reports about Princess Lilibet’s – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter – birth certificate became news as it contained a strange detail. The same happened to Prince George’s ten years after his birth. It has caused some confusion.
One big difference between the royal birth certificates compared to members of the public is that they do not include any surname. The simple reason is that the royals don’t have one. However, if needed for any reason, the royal family can be known as Mountbatten-Windsor, which is the name of the royal house, or use their title.
For example, William was known as Flight Lieutenant William Wales in the Royal Air Force, while Princess Beatrice of York called herself Beatrice York while studying at the university.
When George was born, there was nothing wrong with his name on the birth certificate. Everything was in order – his official name was registered as His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge – but one detail about his mother, Kate Middleton, stood out.
Questioned if Kate was a princess
When George was born, under “occupation,” Kate was listed as “Princess of the United Kingdom”. It sparked a debate over her status and title. Even though her title was Duchess and her occupation was labeled Princess, it didn’t mean she was supposed to be addressed as Princess.
The detail that Princess Kate – titled Duchess of Cambridge at the time of George’s birth – had her occupation labeled “Princess of the United Kingdom” at the time was strange. However, it wasn’t completely inaccurate.
“This led many to question at the time if she really was a princess, given her title was duchess,” The Mirror reported. “But from the day she married William, she technically did become a princess—but not in her own right. In fact, she is still Princess William of Wales; however, back then, her title of Duchess of Cambridge took precedence, while now her Princess of Wales style does.”
For William, his occupation was filed as “Prince of the United Kingdom,” even though he was working as a helicopter pilot for the RAF at the time.
Deputy registrar Alison Cathcart was the witness when George’s birth certificate was signed.
“It was of course a great pleasure to work with Kensington Palace in arranging the signing of the birth certificate for Prince George. This cements an association with Westminster city council and royal births in the borough that goes back decades,” she told The Guardian.
“We registered the birth of the Queen and Prince Charles and Princes William and Harry so it’s great to see that tradition continue. We can now add Prince George to that collection and again congratulate the Duke and Duchess on the birth of their son.”
Prince George set to attend Eton
As a future king, Prince George’s education will take another turn in a few years. Some weeks ago, the young prince was spotted alongside his parents looking around Eton College. Both Prince William and Prince Harry attended the prestigious boarding school in the past.
Tuition at Eton is said to be around £46,000 ($59,000) a year. Though Prince George won’t join the school until he turns 13, children have to be registered for the school during the year that they turn 10, according to the school’s website.
So what would it mean if George attends Eton? According to the Express royal correspondent Richard Palmer, surprisingly, it says a lot about Kate.
“I find it fascinating because the Princess of Wales is spending so much of her life talking about giving children a better start in life, and part of that, she and her advisors have talked about reducing inequality,” he said.
“And there you have her children at a fee-paying independent school, almost certain to go to an expensive fee-paying boarding school later on.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton have always said they want to give their children a normal childhood. But if that is the case, would they send them to a boarding school like Eton?
“Sad” to send George to boarding school, royal expert says
According to former BBC royal expert Jennie Bond, it doesn’t make sense.
“The choice of school for the children will tell us a lot about William and Catherine,” she told OK!.
“So far, they’ve been such a hands-on parents and, personally, I think it would be sad to see them send their children away to boarding school. I would applaud a decision to keep them as day pupils at schools nearby their home. But I think both William and Catherine were happy at boarding school.”
“I suppose it’s what they know, and perhaps they will want to pass this experience on to their children.”
Bond added: “I imagine it will be all or nothing – in other words, all three will go away to school, or none of them. I will be cheering loudly if they decide to keep their children close and nurture them through their adolescence as they have nurtured them through the young years.”