Princess Kate 'slowly preparing' Prince George to be King

When Prince George is not attending the £7,000-a-term Lambrook School, he has been seen with aristocratic pal Ralph Tollemache, whose lavish family home Helmingham Hall rivals his own.

However, Royal author Phil Dampier said there are already signs of how the 11-year-old is being prepared to be King.

Dampier told Fabulous: "Most of the time he is enjoying the life of someone from the upper middle classes, and spends a lot of time with Kate’s family, the Middletons.

"However, he is growing up fast and William and Kate are slowly preparing him for his role.

"He is attending royal events such as Trooping the Colour, the Coronation and big set events and he is slowly being introduced to those.

"He has sometimes looked a bit stiff and formal in a suit and tie. But I thought in the recent photo to mark his 11th birthday he looked a lot more relaxed, a lot more comfortable and he’s clearly maturing rapidly.

"William has taken George to social events like football and mum Kate has taken him to Wimbledon, and as well as enjoying the sport it’s good for him to meet people from all walks of life and gain confidence."

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Body language expert Judi James said public experiences are helping to boost Prince George’s confidence. She claimed: "Thanks to William’s careful, hands-on induction of his eldest son, George has slowly evolved from a rather shy-looking small boy into a more confident, responsible and happily still joyful-looking eleven-year-old."

Meanwhile, Dampier said Prince George is being given greater freedom as a future heir, in contrast to what faced Charles as he was growing up.

He said: "King Charles has spoken in the past of the dreadful moment when as a child it finally dawned on him that he was going to be King and that his whole future was mapped out for him, and it came as a great shock. One of the ways in which William and Kate have prepared George for being King is NOT to prepare him.

"They were adamant that they wanted him and Charlotte and Louis to have as normal an upbringing as possible and not to be burdened by his future destiny. A committee of politicians, courtiers and advisers decided what schools Charles should go to, what service he should do in the armed forces and where he should visit in the Commonwealth, including time at a college in Australia. None of that will happen for George."

Dampier predicts that William and Kate won’t force George into the armed forces when he is older, and claims they "hope he goes to University".

He added: "But by the time he is that age George will be making his own decisions and I’m sure they will encourage him to do so. Their attitude is very much give him the tools to decide his own direction, not force him into things he doesn’t want to do so that he’s weighed down with responsibility.

"They will need to strike a balance between him not being overwhelmed but also accepting his fate. The next few years will be important ones but George looks like he’s got firm foundations to build on."