How Prince George Learned He Will One Day Be King

Prince William and Kate Middleton reportedly had a formal talk with their eldest son, Prince George, explaining to him that he would be the King of England someday. Prince George will celebrate his 10th birthday on July 22, and he is already aware of the course his life will take. Sources close to the royal family have just shared new insight about Prince George’s learning process with reporters from PEOPLE.

Royal biographer Robert Lacey said that Prince William and Middleton chose a “controlled moment of their choice” to talk about the line of succession with Prince George in 2020. According to Lacey, they took this approach because of Prince William’s “unhappiness at the haphazard fashion in which the whole business of his royal destiny had buzzed around his head from the start.” Still, it’s a hard secret to keep from a child in Buckingham Palace, and royal stylist Amaia Arrieta said that she believes Prince George already understood his role better than his parents thought.

“I think George has known almost from the beginning,” Arrieta said. “He has always had a more prominent role – there have been many events with his late great-grandmother or great-grandfather when it was just him, and his siblings weren’t there. I think they must have had that conversation very early on.”

An anonymous palace insider added: “I am sure [William and Kate] are making George aware in the best way they can. And not making it too burdensome.” Still, many pundits wondered about the pressure on King George back in May when he was one of the Pages of Honor in the official coronation ceremony for his grandfather, King Charles III. This made Prince George the youngest future king ever to play an official role in a coronation.

Prince George even posed for a portrait with Prince William and King Charles after the coronation, released by Buckingham Palace not long after. Insiders said that Prince William and Middleton do their best to balance moments like this with a taste of “normal life” so that their son will be well-rounded when it’s his turn to take the throne.

“It’s a massive balancing act,” one person. said. “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. He’s getting firsthand experience of what it’s like to be a royal and a monarch and firsthand experience of being a normal boy.”