Prince George: Chances of being King 'fading rapidly' says expert

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George has been the third-in-line to the throne since his birth back in 2013, and is expected to one day inherit the crown after his father Prince William. There is a great deal of public interest in him as a result, and his presence at the Euro 2020 England vs Germany match earlier this week caused an excited stir among royal watchers. However, William is incredibly protective of his family — and reportedly only told his eldest son that he was destined to become the King around his seventh birthday last year.

Biographer Robert Lacey also claimed in his updated biography, ‘Battle of Brothers’, that William wanted to give his son “a normal family upbringing” to make sure the monarchy stays “relevant”.

This explains why he also keeps George out of the public eye when he can.

Yet, one of the most famous images of George is a formal portrait of the young royal standing next to his great-grandmother the Queen, his grandfather Prince Charles and father William.

It was released in December 2019 — which, if Mr Lacey’s claims are correct, would mean George was not aware of his role as a future monarch at the time.

The Daily Mail alleged Kensington Palace sources have declined to confirm or deny whether this is true.

But, royal commentator Katie Nicholl did tell OK! Magazine at the time that George “understands that he’s different” from his younger siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and has done so for some time.

Allegedly, this is because he is often “singled out” to spend time with the Queen and Charles away from his brother and sister.

In his book, Mr Lacey also described the photograph as a “fascinating and historic image to remind us of the essence of the royal system” by positioning the current monarch next to the three future monarchs.

However, there is another element to this photograph which pushed it into the centre of speculation over the infamous rift between William and his younger brother Prince Harry.

As Mr Lacey noted, the photograph, dubbed the ‘Three Kings’ image, includes “all the living heirs — and not a suggestion of a ‘spare’”.

Insiders claimed that the image, taken in Buckingham Palace’s Throne Room, was Charles’ idea because he wanted to promote his idea of a “slimmed-down monarchy”.

This idea is said to have irked Harry before his royal exit, because it would mean he was sidelined in the Firm.

When the photo was released, ITV royal editor Chris Ship said: “The portrait that Buckingham Palace released to mark the start of the decade.

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“It was the Queen and the three future Kings — and there was also a video of them stirring Christmas pudding.

“I’m not saying they were cutting Harry and Meghan out because it was a brutal fact that Harry was never part of that line of succession, but at the start of a decade it felt like the Royal Family was very much focusing on the future — the Queen and her three heirs.”

It was only the second time the Queen had posed with the three future monarchs, making it a significant moment in royal history.

The image was also taken while Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were on their extended break in Canada.

They touched down in the UK that January for only a handful of days before making their dramatic announcement that they intended to “step back” from their roles as senior royals.

More than a year later, they have laid down permanent roots in California, US, and have welcomed their first daughter Lilibet Diana in their new life outside of the monarchy.

They have also launched a range of accusations against the Firm in recent months, solidifying the claims of an ongoing rift between the Sussexes and their royal relatives.

There were hopes that Harry could reconcile with his brother during his recent trip to the UK, and the two did seem amicable during the unveiling of the Princess Diana statue, but it remains to be seen if they can all put the tensions surrounding Harry’s confessions behind them.

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