15 July 2023, 23:14 | Updated: 15 July 2023, 23:32
Prince George won’t be expected to serve in the military before he takes the throne, the Prince and Princess of Wales have reportedly told friends.
It signals a break from decades of royal tradition, with monarchs historically expected to have spent time in the army, navy or air force.
George’s father, uncle, grandfather, great-grandmother and great-grandfather all served.
The prince, who turns ten on Sunday, will be allowed to decide for himself.
A family friend told the Mail on Sunday: “In theory, there is nothing to stop George from pursuing a career as an astronaut, for example, if that’s what he wants, and then becoming King later.”
Read more: Prince William ‘to charge King Charles to stay at Welsh cottage he bought – and must move all belongings’
Read more: Ben Wallace to quit as Defence Secretary and stand down as MP at next election
Prince Harry briefly served in Afghanistan, while Prince Andrew served in the Falklands.
Prince William trained at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst for seven years.
Charles also served both in the navy and the air force between 1971 and 1994.
And the late Queen served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) at the age of 19, driving ambulances for the last few months of the Second World War.
A Palace source told the newspaper: “If any of the Wales’s three children had a particular passion then their parents would be happy for them to pursue it.”
It’s not the only way Prince William has sought to break with the way things were.
He will reportedly charge King Charles to stay at the Welsh cottage he bought in 2007 once it’s converted into holiday lets.
The King bought Llwynywermod for £1.2 million in 2007 through the Duchy of Cornwall, which the Prince of Wales took over after the death of the Queen.
The three-bedroom cottage in the Brecon Beacons, set in 192 acres of countryside, underwent a thorough restoration contributed to by Queen Camilla’s sister Annabel Elliot.
But William has now told the King to move all his belongings out of the property and will charge him in future to stay there.
