The thoughtful reason Prince George won’t undertake royal duties until he’s ‘well into his twenties’ - and he has his dad to thank

A Kensington Palace insider has revealed that Prince George likely won’t step into his royal role and undertake royal duties until he’s ‘well into his twenties’ as Prince William 'is determined' to give him more autonomy than he had as a child.

Prince George and his younger siblings, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, have taken to public life as ducks to water. Since the death of their great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, the youngsters have attended more royal events than ever before, delighting both royal watchers and fans with their top notch, though often cheeky, behaviour. 

But while we've seen them stepping out more and more often, as the trio grows up, their royal duties will likely remain the same rather than increasing in frequency. That's because, according to a royal insider, especially when it comes to Prince George who sits second in the royal line of succession, Prince William is keen to put off their royal careers for as long as possible. 

Writing in his new book, King Charles III: The Inside Story, author Robert Hardman shares, "Whereas [King] Charles III had his future mapped out without consultation, Prince William had a significant degree of autonomy in his choice of university education, his engagement with the armed forces and his introduction to regular royal duties. 

"He is determined that Prince George should have a similar if not greater involvement in the way he develops his own royal role."

His words are backed up by a member of Kensington Palace's staff. "There is no expectation that any royal duties are going to kick in until George is well into his twenties," they told Hardman. "Before he was even made a page at the Coronation, William and [Princess] Catherine wanted to ask him if he felt comfortable about it because he was clearly the youngest. It turned out he was keen."

The news comes as nothing of a surprise. William and Kate have long been vocal about their desire for their kids to have a normal childhood despite the royal lifestyle they were born into. But how do you bring up the future King and give him any semblance of normalcy? 

“It’s a massive balancing act,” a palace insider told PEOPLE. “William and Kate are doing the right thing, protecting him so he can have as normal a childhood as possible, but he’s also dipping into duties as a future monarch.”

Another source close to the royals credits Kate's non-royal upbringing as the most important factor influencing her parenting style. “Coming from a different background, she appreciates the importance of having family time,” they said. “She wasn’t brought up in that aristocratic setting where you see the children for a short time each day."

In other royal news, Prince William is relying on this close family member to help him ‘look after the kids’ while Kate Middleton recovers from surgery, Prince William loves playing this traditional game with Prince George and Charlotte but makes them ‘very cross’ with his competitive streak, and Are you or your kids smart enough to crack Prince George’s Eton entry test? Try these 3 questions (and we won’t judge if you peek at the answers, we had to).