William & Kate Want To “Normalize” Royal Duties For Prince George

While Buckingham Palace is busy reassuring folks that Kate Middleton is “doing well,” Prince William is juggling an eventful start to the year with future preparations for his children.

In an interview with People, royal biographer Robert Hardman claimed that William wants to “normalize” royal duties for his eldest child, Prince George, who’s second in line to the throne.

“[Williams and Kate] are not in denial and there’s a lot of thought being given to it,” said Hardman, author of The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy. “It’s going to be part of their life. There’s a belief to make it as unobtrusive and as normal — if you can call it normal — and as pleasant as possible.”

While Hardman explained that preparation is already underway, one Kensington Palace source told him that “there is no expectation that any royal duties are going to kick in until George is well into his 20s.”

This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise: Prince George has attended several major events in recent years, including the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee celebrations and King Charles III’s Coronation, where he was joined by his younger siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

According to Hardman, George’s experience at these events is one of William’s top priorities. “In his view, it’s not far off the most important job he has — raising the next King,” an unnamed family friend says in the book.

The author also writes that King Charles’ preparation to become the British monarch had been “laid out for him,” much like it will be for George. “[The King] was told by a committee, ‘You will do this,’” Hardman writes. “There was once a dinner, which involved the Prime Minister of the Archbishop of Canterbury and a few others, where it was decided that Charles would go to Trinity College, Cambridge, and would then join the Royal Navy. He was sort of informed afterward, this is what you are going to do.”