In just a matter of days, a major change will take place in the royal family regarding Prince William and Kate Middleton's eldest son, Prince George.
On Tuesday next week (22 July), second-in-line-to-the-throne, George, will be turning 12 years old and, if the family follows royal tradition, he could be forced to travel separately on royal visits and tours.
The reason behind the tradition is because William is the first in line to the throne and the rules would mean that the two royal members in succession can't be together.
It was put in place in case the worst should happen and a plane crashed, it would mean an heir to the throne is protected and keeps the monarchy stable.
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But, with the milestone birthday just around the corner, how did William and Kate break the news to George that he would be the future King? And why was it so important to William to not do it in a 'haphazard fashion'?
Now, George is already well aware of his future fate, with royal biographer, Robert Lacey, revealing in his 2021 book Battle of Brothers that his parents wasted no time breaking the news.
"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," he wrote.
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"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."
The expert 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'."
Lacey also claimed that William’s decision to tell his son the big news in a controlled manner was spurred on by his own 'unhappiness at the haphazard fashion in which the whole business of his royal destiny had buzzed around his head from the start'.
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Before the Queen’s passing in 2022, the young prince had been photographed in 2019 beside her, his grandfather King Charles and dad William.
Remarking on the photograph, Lacey beamed: "What a fascinating and historic image to remind us of the essence of the royal system! The current monarch with three future monarchs. All the living heirs - and not a suggestion of a 'spare'."
As for how George behaves knowing that one day he will be king, royal expert Katie Nicholl told OK Magazine: "George is an absolute pleasure to be around and that’s down to his parents."
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She added: "They’re not raising him to be spoilt or to have an inflated sense of his own importance. He doesn’t get special treatment just because he’s the future heir.
"They make a point of ensuring their three children feel equal and that they’re all treated the same."
Topics: Prince George, UK News, Royal Family, Prince William
Rhiannon Ingle