This is how Prince George was told that he'll be King one day

Prince William was keen to get it right

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge arrive at the Lindo Wing after Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to a baby girl at St Mary's Hospital on May 2, 2015 in London, England
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince George just turned 11 years old, and of course he's known that he'll one day be a King for a while now.

But rather than having him piece bits of information together to realise the important position he will one day hold, George's parents Prince William and Princess Kate made sure to plan the revelation out in the best way possible.

Apparently, the royal parents told George in 2020, in a "controlled moment of their choice," because William didn't like that he himself found out via a sort of continuous buzz around him since he was born, according to royal biographer Robert Lacey.

But one person who works closely with the Wales family doesn't think that's the whole story.

"I think George has known almost from the beginning," children's clothing designer Amaia Arrieta told People last year.

"He has always had a more prominent role — there have been many events with his late great-grandmother [Queen Elizabeth II] or great-grandfather [Prince Philip] when it was just him, and his siblings weren't there. I think they must have had that conversation very early on."

People reports that William had revealed back in 2016 that the time had not yet come to sit George (born in 2013) down to explain his future to him.

"I am sure [William and Kate] are making George aware in the best way they can. And not making it too burdensome," a Palace source told People.

Throughout George's life, William and Kate have done their utmost to balance the duties and privileges of royal life with trying to give their eldest and his siblings as normal a life as possible.

We know that the Waleses are very intentional with their parenting habits, and do their best to give their children the best life they can have.

Notably, William is known to want to give George, Charlotte and Louis a different childhood to the one he had. "William continually shows how he uses lessons from his past to forge the kind of family unit he sees as more modern and more ideal," body language expert Judi James told the Mirror earlier this year.

"His understanding of duty and loyalty seems strong but he is clearly also determined to create a more casual and playful life for his own children than he or his father were allowed to enjoy."

Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.