Being Prince George:
AN INSIDE LOOK AT WHAT LIFE IS REALLY LIKE FOR THE 9-YEAR-OLD FUTURE KING OF ENGLAND.
What’s it like growing up royal? Palace insiders reveal rare details of the future king’s charmed life.
PRINCE WILLIAM is known for being quite reserved when it comes to sharing royal family business. But the hands-on dad of three can be quite effusive about his children, once calling Princess Charlotte, 7, “cheeky” and revealing that Prince Louis, 4, loves to follow his big sister around the house. He’s saved some of his funniest comments for his eldest son, Prince George. “George is a right little rascal sometimes,” William said on one talk show. “He keeps me on my toes.”
And then some. According to a palace insider, William and his wife, Princess Kate, have told friends that George — second in line to throne after his father — can be a real handful. From being the class clown to playing video games and demanding pricey sneakers, the 9-year-old is giving William and Kate a run for their money. “George occasionally gets into trouble at school,” says the insider. “He’ll talk in class or make silly faces to get his classmates to laugh. It’s actually pretty funny. Kate and William are usually amused when the teacher tells them what mischievous George has been up to!”
ROYAL DEMANDS
William, 40, and Kate, 41, are said to be doing their best to keep the future king grounded. “George is aware of who he is and what role he will take in the future,” says the insider. “His parents gently explained that when he was 6 or 7, and they remind him often.” Keeping family routines, adds the insider, “provides them with a sense of normalcy.”
Kids will be kids — regardless of bloodlines. “Like a lot of children his age, George loves playing the latest video games,” reveals the insider, noting that William and Kate indulge him a bit but limit the amount of time he can play. “Games come after homework and chores, and then he can only play for a half hour or so.”
Despite his royal status, the prince wants to fit in at school, which sometimes means asking for trendy things, like $300 kicks. “George has some say in what he wears each day, and he favors Nike sneakers because they’re comfortable and he can run around in them,” says the insider.” A lot of the other kids at school have them and George wants to be cool too.”
REINED IN
The eldest Windsor is well-liked among his classmates. “He makes friends easily,” says the insider. He enjoys having pals over for playdates — and inviting them to exclusive palace parties. “William and Kate know the other parents at George’s school and special occasions like his birthday parties are a fun social time for the grown-ups as well.”
Even so, he has tried to pull rank a few times at the posh $25,000-a-year Lambrook school. “George’s parents sometimes have to remind him not to take advantage of his position in life, and that it’s not nice
“George is aware of who he is and his role in the future.” — a friend tells Star
to tell schoolmates that his father will be king someday and that they’ll be sorry if they don’t do what he says,” says the insider, adding, “he’s been caught doing that more than once.” Will and Kate are adamant George shouldn’t get special treatment. “They want him to be treated equally with the other children, and he must follow the same rules of conduct,” says the insider.
BUDDING ARTIST
During downtime, the little prince loves to play soccer. “I reckon he can be [an] alltime leading goal-scorer,” William once bragged of George’s skills on the pitch. “That would be brilliant.” When he’s not running around, the youngster likes to draw and paint. William and Kate even shared a watercolor he made of a reindeer on social media — and the insider says they’re thinking of auctioning it off for one of their charities to the tune of $3,000. “They’ve been told an original painting of George’s could fetch a bundle,” says the insider. (Hannah Dale, whose artwork inspired the prince, gave a favorable critique: “He’s obviously got talent.”)
He’s close with his sister, Charlotte, and brother, Louis — most of the time, at least. “When one gets more attention from their parents, the others don’t like it,” says the insider. “They fight about things like who gets the last drumstick or the candy flower on the cake.”
FORMAL PATH
Kate’s hoping to avoid the royal tradition of sending sons to boarding school. William went away to Eton College when he was just 13. “It would be heartbreaking,” says the insider. “Kate can’t imagine coming home from a day of appointments and not seeing George in the kitchen, asking a dozen questions. And Charlotte and Louis would miss him too.” William is going along with it, for now. “She thinks George should have as normal a start as possible,” says the insider, “so she’s putting her foot down.” H