Prince George is not expected to join the armed forces before becoming king

Prince George is not expected to serve in the military before becoming king, breaking centuries of tradition.

The second-in-line to the throne may bypass the usual stint in the armed forces if he wishes, The Mail on Sunday understands, leaving him free to shape his own destiny.

It would be an important departure for the royal family, as the monarch is commander-in-chief of the British armed forces. George’s father, uncle, grandfather, great-grandmother, and great-grandfather all served in the military, following centuries-old precedent.

Historian Dominic Sandbrook wrote in this newspaper today: “The tradition of royals joining the armed forces, even for short periods, lends crucial legitimacy to the monarchy.”

But ahead of Prince George’s 10th birthday on Saturday, Prince William, an old friend of George’s father, said: “In theory, there’s nothing stopping George from pursuing, say, a career as an astronaut, if that’s what he is. wants, and later to become king.

“The rules are different now, he doesn’t necessarily have to follow the old formula of going first into the army and then into royal life.

“For example, can Charlotte qualify as a doctor? I don’t see why not. It’s less of a fishbowl now than it was when William and Harry were growing up.”

Historian Hugo Vickers said: ‘This is important because it shows that times move on. I’m all for people who keep up with the times, provided they don’t throw tradition out the window.

Perhaps the military won’t turn out to be the best course for Prince George, although I hope he does something like the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award instead, which is non-competitive.

“For King Charles, his naval service in the 1970s was very useful. It showed the country that he had a paying job and that it was a role where he would not use his title for commercial gain.

‘Military service gives members of the Royal House a sense of everyday life, gives them a certain freedom and teaches them all kinds of timekeeping and presentation skills that prove to be important for Royal duties.

“What clearly doesn’t work are those cases where members of the royal family engage in commercial ventures. That always goes wrong.’

George showed an early interest in the military on Friday at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. He was tasked with partially raising the ramp of a massive C-17 transport plane, and loved sitting in the cockpit and “flipping a few switches.”

However, his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, are determined to give him as “normal” an upbringing as possible – which, it seems, includes the freedom to follow his own interests as he grows up.

Mr Sandbrook added: ‘Military service is the latest tradition to take royal youths outside their sheltered lives of impossible privileges.’ But he acknowledged, “Times change and institutions change with them … who can blame him if he prefers to pursue another calling?”

General Sir Richard Barrons, former head of Joint Forces Command, said: “I think the armed forces will feel a little sorry about that, but that’s all they’ll think.”

But he added that a military stint was a useful way for a young Royal to serve in “the years between coming of age and when you take up the mantle of King.” And royal biographer AN Wilson spoke out against the idea, saying: ‘This is a very big change from the way it’s always been done and I think he should be told, ‘Sorry, you can’t choose.’

“It does indeed feel a bit like disapproval of the armed forces. There could be another way Prince George spends a stint in the military and then becomes an artist or pastry chef or whatever interests him. On a point that seems trivial, it is also useful to have a uniform, otherwise we might as well have a president in a suit as our head of state.”

The late Queen was keen to ensure that both of her grandsons would serve in the line of succession in Afghanistan, though it later proved too risky to send William.

In an ITV documentary in April, General Sir Mike Jackson, the former Chief of the Army, spoke of an audience with Her Majesty, saying: ‘She was very clear. She said, “My grandsons have taken my shillings, so they must do their duty.” And that was that. It was decided that Willem as heir is too risky for the heir. But for his younger brother, the risk was acceptable.’

William was educated at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst and served in the armed forces for over seven years. He was attached to the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry and trained as a pilot at RAF College, becoming a full-time pilot with the RAF Valley search and rescue team in Anglesey, North Wales.

Harry also went to Sandhurst before joining the Blues and Royals. He performed two tours of duty in Afghanistan, including as an Apache helicopter pilot. In his memoir Spare, he said he killed 25 Taliban fighters. He also said his service taught him to “grow up pretty fast,” adding, “The bubble I grew up in burst.”

Harry was the first member of the Royal Family to serve in a war zone since his uncle Prince Andrew, who flew helicopters during the Falklands conflict in 1982. The Duke has since been stripped of his honorary military roles.

King Charles served in both the Royal Navy and the RAF between 1971 and 1976 when he was Prince of Wales. He served on the guided missile destroyer HMS Norfolk, qualified as a helicopter pilot and took command of a coastal mine hunter for ten months.

His father, Prince Philip, was 17 when he attended Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, and he chaperoned Princess Elizabeth, then 13, when she came to visit. He served on HMS Valiant and saw action off North Africa. He was mentioned in reports for “courage and enterprise” in directing the battleship’s searchlights at enemy targets.

However, his distinguished military career came to an end when he gave up supporting his wife when she became queen.

During World War II, the late Queen served as Princess Elizabeth in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), a part of the military that women could join to perform work that freed men up for frontline duties. She joined at the age of 19, becoming the first female member of the royal family to serve on active duty, and trained as a driver and mechanic.

The king’s younger brother, Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, did not serve in the army, but spent time as an officer cadet in the Royal Marines after leaving university.

While Prince George’s future career is still a long way off, those close to the Prince and Princess of Wales say they want their children to be free to follow their interests. As part of an upbringing that is as normal as possible, the Princess of Wales is baking a cake for George’s tenth birthday this weekend, while the prince has invited school friends to a party.

Last month, George was spotted browsing Eton with his parents, sparking speculation that he could follow in his father’s footsteps to the elite school.

A source close to the palace said: “If one of the three children of Wales had a certain passion, their parents would be happy if they pursued it.”

Prince George at 10: You Magazine