Prince George looks set to be able to choose his career, unlike past monarchs. Photo / Getty Images
Prince George looks set to be able to choose his career, unlike past monarchs. Photo / Getty Images
Prince George could become the first future monarch in centuries to not serve in the military before becoming King.
Instead of the usual stint in the Armed Forces, the second in line to the throne is said to have the option instead of “shaping his own destiny” according to the Mail on Sunday.
The move would be historically significant given the history of the monarch being the Commander-in-Chief of Britain’s forces and George’s father, uncle, grandfather, great-grandmother and great-grandfather all previously serving.
Speaking ahead of Prince George’s upcoming 10th birthday, a long-time friend of George’s father, Prince William, said told the Mail: “In theory, there is nothing to stop George from pursuing a career as an astronaut, for example, if that’s what he wants, and then becoming King later.
“The rules are different now, he wouldn’t necessarily have to follow the old formula of going into the military and then Royal life. So, could Charlotte qualify as a doctor, for example? I don’t see why not. It’s less of a fishbowl now than when William and Harry were growing up.”
And Historian Hugo Vickers noted: “This is significant because it shows that times are moving on. I’m all for people keeping up with the times providing they don’t throw tradition out of the window.
“Maybe the military won’t prove to be the best course for Prince George, although I would hope that he might do something like the Duke of Edinburgh gold award instead, which is non-competitive.”
He added: “Military service allows members of the Royal Family to have a sense of normal life, grants them a certain amount of freedom and teaches them all sorts of timekeeping and presentation skills which prove to be important for Royal duties.”
However young George has had some encounters with the Armed Forces already that may have piqued his interest.
Prince William and Prince George during their visit to the Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford. Photo / Getty Images
On Friday the future King was given the task of partially raising the ramp on a C-17 transporter aircraft and was happy to sit in the cockpit and “flick some switches” at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
But parents Kate and William are said to be set on giving him the “normal” childhood that William may not have had, and giving him the freedom to choose what his heart desires.
The Queen before her passing, is said to have ensured that both Harry and William served, as well as most of her own children.
William trained at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and served in the Armed Forces for more than seven years. Harry also went to Sandhurst before joining the Blues and Royals and carrying out two tours of duty in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter pilot.
Prince Harry and Prince William both served as various roles in the Armed Forces. Photo / Getty Images
In his memoir Spare, the Prince revealed he killed 25 Taliban fighters and he was forced “grow up pretty fast.”
King Charles served in both the Royal Navy and RAF between 1971 and 1976 and on a guided missile destroyer HMS Norfolk.
Before marrying the Queen, Prince Philip attended Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, and famously escorted Princess Elizabeth, then 13, when she came to visit. His highly regarded military career later ended when he gave it up to support the Queen when she took the throne following her father’s sudden passing.
The Queen, when she was a Princess, served during the Second World War with the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). She served from age 19, becoming the first female member of the Royal Family to serve and trained as a driver and mechanic.
