GQ in 2017. He’s done a phenomenal job, but the life of a young heir is bound to have unique challenges. Prince George’s Life

As hard as Prince William and Kate Middleton try to keep Prince George’s childhood as normal as possible, their eldest child is no ordinary citizen. Sooner or later, they would have to explain his situation to him. They opted for later. They knew learning that his future had been laid out for him over hundreds of centuries would weigh heavily on the young prince, so they put it off for as long as possible.

When George was around 7, it became hard to keep it from him. “William deliberately delayed this news until the last possible moment. It shows special care and thoughtfulness — it also tells us something about how William felt about the weight of the crown,” royal author Robert Lacey told People in August 2025. The Prince of Wales likely feels his status unnecessarily impacted his own childhood. Other experts have gone so far as to argue that the news contributed to the strain in William and Prince Harry’s relationship.

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“Harry felt William was the top dog and always received preferential treatment. [As a result], Harry felt second best,” royal broadcaster Helena Chard told Fox News. It’s impossible to guarantee that George’s experiences will be different, but William will continue trying. It’s been speculated that he may even delay bestowing the title of Prince of Wales on George if William becomes king before he finishes school. “They would want him to focus on having freedom before giving him any royal titles,” a palace insider told People.

Prince George may embody the resolute demeanor of his great-grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, but that’s the side of him reserved for the public. Away from the cameras, he’s quite different. “He comes across as a serious chap,” a palace insider told People in August. “To have the world’s eyes on you, especially when you’re so young, is demanding.” When he’s not acting as second in line to the throne, George’s personality is a lot different.

To some, George takes after Princess Diana, the grandmother he never met. “He’s funny and feisty and cheeky and, God, she would have loved him so much. That is heartbreaking for all of them,” Diana’s close friend and one of George’s godparents, Julia Samuel, said on the “How To Fail With Elizabeth Day” podcast.Like George, Diana acted reserved in public but was the complete opposite in private. “Behind closed doors she was a very loving, caring mother, and an incredibly funny person. A total kid, through and through,” Prince Harry said on the 2017 ITV documentary “Diana, Our Mother: Her Life And Legacy.”

Prince William has expressed regret about the fact that his mother never had a chance to meet his children. “I would like to have had her advice. I would love her to have met Catherine and to have seen the children grow up. It makes me sad that she won’t, that they will never know her,” he said in the GQ interview.

It’s hard enough to contend with the big notion that he’ll one day be the king of England, but getting closer to meeting his destiny through the death of people he loves is something else entirely. The tragic death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 hit Prince George hard. Only 9 at the time, George was visibly upset at his great-grandmother’s funeral (seen above). Despite their young age, George and Prince Charlotte, then 7, joined the procession, walking behind Elizabeth’s coffin with their family.

The late queen may have been 96, but her death was no less difficult on her loved ones. “Catherine said it’s just been such a difficult time for all of them, for the whole family,” an attendee who interacted with the royals told The Telegraph. George had a special relationship with Elizabeth. The queen always looked for opportunities to spend time with him. Elizabeth, or Gan Gan as George called her, wasn’t afraid to spoil her great-grandson either.

Whenever he spent the night at Buckingham Palace, the queen went out of her way to make him feel special. “She always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay and that just shows, I think, her love for her family,” Kate Middleton said in the 2016 BBC documentary “Elizabeth at 90: A Family Tribute,” when George was 2. George showed his professionalism during the queen’s funeral, but the expression on his face showed how much he would miss her.

Prince George celebrated his third birthday in July 2016, but the event went viral for all the wrong reasons. Kensington Palace released official photos of the toddler, one of which showed him offering a lick of his ice cream to the family dog, Lupo. The pic immediately sparked outrage among animal lovers. “It is lovely that Prince George is trying to help keep his family dog, Lupo, cool in these high temperatures,” the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told the Daily Mail.

“We would advise people to be cautious when giving their dogs food meant for human consumption as some items, like chocolate, can be highly toxic to dogs and dairy items can be difficult for them to digest.” George held what appeared to be a white chocolate Magnum close to Lupo’s snout, though the dog wasn’t actually licking the treat. The Dogs Trust charity joined in the criticism. “Whenever you do treat your dog, do consider the ingredients and always seek the advice of your vet,” its then-veterinary director, Paula Boyden, added.

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Why is Prince George trying to kill this dog by feeding it a white Magnum? pic.twitter.com/LEvU6D4SeJ

— Tom McArthur (@TomMcArthur) July 22, 2016

Social media users didn’t cut the toddler any slack at the time. “Why is Prince George trying to kill this dog by feeding it a white Magnum?” one user asked on X, previously known as Twitter. The outrage compelled others to jump in George’s defense, though. “OMG we really are a nation of moaners and complainers. I doubt Lupo’s getting a Magnum w/every meal. It was a moment,” CNN royal contributor Victoria Arbiter tweeted (via Digital Journal).

As heir to the throne, Prince George has had to learn about duty and responsibility earlier than the average kid. Add watching his mother face a major health diagnosis on top of that, and it’s inevitable to see that the young prince had to grow up fast during his preteen years. Kate Middleton’s tragic cancer journey began around early 2024, though she only shared the news that March.

While the timeline of Kate’s disappearance from public life sparked a flurry of conspiracy theories, the Princess of Wales had a legit reason for retreating into her home. In addition to contending with the diagnosis itself, Prince William and Kate worried about how their children might take it. “It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be okay,” she revealed in the March 22, 2024, video shared on Instagram.

Kate’s health setback changed, even if temporarily, her children’s home life and the way they related to each other. “Her children have been wonderful. They know that Mommy is going to be okay. They know that Mommy is doing everything she can to get better, but they also know that Mommy needs a bit more sensitivity and gentle handling than they might have been used to in the past,” Daily Mail’s U.S. Associate Editor Charlie Lankston told Access Hollywood in May 2024. They were up to the task, but it can’t have been easy.