Prince William 'doesn't want' George to continue this historic royal role tradition

It could mean big changes for the Royal Family

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 William "doesn't necessarily want" his eldest son Prince George, 10, to follow in his footsteps when he grows up.

According to royal expert Angela Levin, speaking in the aftermath of Saturday's Trooping the Colour celebration, William may not feel particularly strongly about George joining the Army once he leaves school or university. (Prince Harry joined up after Eton, while William joined after his graduation from St. Andrews.)

Asked on GB News to comment on the next generation of royals' chances of joining the Armed Forces in some capacity once they're old enough, Angela said: "This is very interesting because Prince William doesn’t necessarily want little George to do that. He doesn’t feel it’s necessary."

She continued: "But it’s such a stamp on the Royal Family, isn't it? And with all the costumes, and they’re the head of the Army, so what would they do without that? I find that very difficult."

Royal men have historically joined the Army in some way before becoming working royals: not only did William serve, but so did his father King Charles, and his father Prince Philip.

For Angela, William not necessarily insisting his children serve in the Army is just one of the potentially major changes he might make as his role in the Royal Family progresses.

"I think it's the same with religion, actually, because he's not religious — William," the expert explained. "He does go once or twice a year, but he hasn't got the same passion about religion that King Charles does, and I think it's very difficult. I think it could be maybe a very changed Royal Family."

At the moment, George is still too young for us to know whether he will end up joining the Armed Forces or not. For the time being, we know he loves football, rugby, video games, music... Prince George is just out here being a child like any other!

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.