In how they are raising Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, the Prince and Princess seem intent on taking a hard look at William's childhood as a young royal, incorporating what worked and leaving the rest behind. In particular, the Mirror reports that William's own trauma influenced his response to how he was told of his future fate as king, particularly with regard to how George, who, like his father William, is heir to the throne, was told of what the future holds for him.

William did not fully understand what lay ahead of him as a child; the Mirror reports that his future was never fully explained to him, which made it difficult for William when it was revealed, royal expert Monique Jessen said. Jessen said William was "troubled" and "traumatized" when he understood his fate.

When George was only 3 years old (he is now 10 and celebrated a milestone birthday this past weekend), William told the BBC in an interview that while he would explain George's future at one point, his priority at the time was simply to love George as much as he could: "2016 In 2006, William said, "There will be a time and a place to raise George and understand how he fits in the world. But for now, it's about keeping a safe and stable environment around George and showing him as much love as you can as a father."

Appearing on the podcast "Royally Obsessed," Jessen said that by now George is aware of his future plans to become king: "I think George is now aware [of his destiny]."

"I think that's a conversation that definitely happened.

Jessen, People's royal correspondent, continued, "We've seen him do quite a few engagements himself, so I think it has definitely happened by now." 'We've done it with the late Queen and with Philip, and I think it's a fine line. They want him to be ready and they don't want to scare him off. I also think William was traumatized by the fact that growing up he was not told anything and everyone expected him to know. He would definitely want to do something very different for George than he has done in the past."

As "Marie Claire" recently reported, George's future may not include mandatory military service, as it did for William, Prince Charles, and Queen Elizabeth.

Broadcaster Jeremy Paxman, in his 2019 documentary Paxman on the Queen's Children, discussed what William's mother, Princess Diana, had to say about her firstborn son's future and how he was taking on the top job She recalls how he was unsure about taking on the top job. She says, "We talked about the children, and Princess Diana said that William used to say that he didn't really want to be king. And Harry would say, 'If you don't want the job, I do.'"