Deciding what to be when you grow up is never an easy choice for a child, and ideas often chop and change as they progress through childhood and into their teen years. However, for a member of the Royal Family, there are other restrictions and responsibilities to consider when deciding on a future career path. When it comes to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, royal expert Victoria Howard believes that the Prince and Princess of Wales will strive for a 'sense of normality' for their children's futures.
'I think royal children growing up nowadays have a lot more scope to decide their own path,' says Victoria. 'Obviously she's not a working royal, but I think Zara [Tindall, daughter of Princess Anne] is a fantastic example of that.'
Zara Tindall is an equestrian, like her mother was, and lives independently outside of official royal duties. But what does the future hold for Prince William and Kate's three children, especially Prince George who, as the oldest, is in line to the throne after his dad? Victoria says she expects all three children to go to university and that, 'George will absolutely serve in the military,' while continuing 'being prepped for his whole life, knowing that one day he'll be king.'
Prince William grew up in much the same way as his eldest son, also being the 'heir'. His younger brother Prince Harry was known as the 'spare.' Now that the Prince and Princess of Wales have three children - and that men and women are now equally in line to reign - things are different.
'We have a slightly different situation with Princess Charlotte, who is the traditional "spare" now in line,' says Victoria. 'Then Louis is sort of the "spare of the spare".' The expert predicts that Prince Louis may follow his brother and dad into the military, given the Royal Family's deep history with the armed forces. This path, says Victoria, would also offer some respite away from the public eye, which is what Prince William and Kate would likely be hoping for.
'I think they would be very keen that their children had a similar experience to them in that they could have a few years of trying to - whether it's through a career in the military or living away from the spotlight a little bit - have some sense of normality. They'd be very keen to give that to their children.'
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For this reason, Victoria believes that if the children 'have particular interests they would like to take into potential careers, I think [their parents] would try and make that happen for them.' However, she imagines this would be alongside 'some royal engagements, because that's what's expected'.
'I imagine what will end up happening is they will all have full-time royal careers. But I do think if Louie, for example, just wanted an entirely military career, they would try and make that happen for him,' says Victoria. 'We know that Charlotte's doing ballet lessons at the moment. For example, if she wanted to try and have a career in dance then they would try and facilitate that for her.'
