Princess Kate is an unusual royal parent, and it is bearing fruit in the lives of her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. George, heir to the throne, who turns 10 this month, has had a very different upbringing from his grandfather, Prince Charles, and his father, Prince William. It has been a delicate balance of having as normal a childhood as possible while also beginning to learn about royal duties, and Kate is spearheading the process, "People" reports.

"It's a massive balancing act," a palace insider told the outlet.

The source added, "He is experiencing firsthand what it is like to be a royal and a monarch, and to be a normal boy."

One way he is embracing his future role in the royal family is by serving as chief chamberlain at the king's coronation in May. Although his younger siblings Charlotte and Louis also attended the coronation, George made history as the youngest future king to have an official role at the coronation.

"He was amazing," a close friend told People. Both William and Kate knew the pressure George faced in the role, but they also knew he was up to the task. One guest told the magazine, "The service was emotional, familial, and very inclusive, and George did his part."

George's life at his home in Adelaide Cottage, while in the public eye, is very different from his predecessors' heirs, thanks in part, according to People, to Kate, who grew up outside the royal family.

"With her different background, she understands the importance of having family time," a source close to the royal family tells People."

"She did not grow up in an aristocratic environment where she could only see her children for a short time each day.

Kate regularly drives the children to school and makes sure that either she or William is home by the time they arrive in the evening; according to People magazine, the Welsh family often gathers in the kitchen to cook dinner for the children and decorate a cake. People magazine reports that the Welsh family often gather in the kitchen to cook dinner for the children and decorate cakes. Says Pete Morris of the Little Dragon Pizza Van, which Kate visited in April, "The princess asked if they make their own dough and said they love making pizza with the kids."

During an appearance on the "Happy Mum, Happy Baby" podcast in 2020, Kate said she was "happiest when she was outdoors in the countryside with her family and everyone was filthy dirty." This was all part of William and Kate's effort to maintain normalcy, and the couple was "consciously trying to maintain normalcy," the source said; the two had explicit permission from Queen Elizabeth and then-Prince Charles to focus on family rather than royal duties, and it paid off.

"Successive generations of the royal family have not had the opportunity to lay such a foundation properly, but they have done so," the friend says.