Prince George will be starting to feel the ‘pressure’ of his future role as King with many royals currently out of action - but his mum and dad are determined to delay his official debut

A royal expert believes that, with Kate Middleton and King Charles both currently MIA from royal life due to health issues, the young Prince George will be starting to feel the ‘pressure’ of his future role as King.

Prince George may only be 10-years-old but his entire life is already mapped out for him. He has already sat his Eton entry test, dictating whether or not he'll follow in his father's footsteps and attend the prestigious boarding school when he turns 13, and he has been preparing for his future role as King more so than ever now that he sits second in the royal line of succession. 

King Charles' vision of a slimmed down monarchy has had somewhat of a trial run recently, with both the monarch himself and the future Queen Kate Middleton out of action due to health struggles. With this in mind, one royal expert believes that there's now more pressure than ever on the young prince to step up and help out wherever he can. 

However, his parents, especially Prince William, are keen to avoid this and still want to give George a 'normal' childhood, though that's becoming an increasingly bigger struggle.

"In almost every walk of life, there are any number of people to turn to for advice and guidance based on the benefit of their experience. But if your destiny is to become King or Queen, the pool of informed guidance is extraordinarily limited," former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! Magazine.

"In other words, there really are only two people in the world George can look to for direct advice based on experience: his father and his grandfather."

According to the expert, William is desperate for George to have a similar life to the one he had himself, where he got to have a relatively normal experience of teenage life away from royal duties. "William is perfectly entitled to feel that one of his most important jobs is to train this country‘s future King. But I also think that William - who relished his 'normal' life as a student and then a rescue helicopter pilot - will want George to have the same chance," she said.

"He and Kate will do all they can to allow their eldest son to enjoy a few years of relative freedom before he has to knuckle down to the serious business of being a full-time Royal."

However, this 'normal' life will be one that only becomes harder and harder to give as other members of The Firm grow older and King Charles continues to enact his plans to slim down the monarchy. "Will they have the luxury of time? Well, I think by then - we’re talking about 12 or 15 years from now - we will have become used to a very slimmed down monarchy, with many fewer engagements," says Bond.

"It will be basically William and Kate, plus Edward and Sophie who could be expected to carry out anything approaching a full workload - although I am sure King Charles will continue to do as much as physically possible at 90.

"The pressure will be certainly be on George to embrace his destiny— but, personally, I think he will make a better King if he’s given the chance to enjoy a bit of life outside royal duties first."

In other royal news, Beano artist reveals secret portrait he created for Prince George and Princess Charlotte (and we think Prince Louis will be gutted he missed out), Kate Middleton has made ‘confident choice’ to ‘be more hands-on with her children’ as she prepares to become Queen says royal expert, and Royal expert reveals how Princess Diana’s death prepared Prince William for this unexpected aspect of parenting.