Prince William and Kate Middleton's oldest son, Prince George, may be third in line to
the British throne, but he's also a pretty normal child.
According to The Mirror, George is just like any other preteen boy who likes to spend time
with his family and occasionally be silly. According to royal expert Duncan Larcombe,
the young royal can also be quite the handful when he's out of the public eye.
Days before George's eighth birthday on July 22, the author told OK!,
"Although Prince George might be future King of the Castle, he's not King of the Castle
yet. [...] He's a rascal (almost) eight-year-old — full of mischief and always playing tricks
and pranks on his younger sister and brother."
But George's life isn't all fun and games, as the little prince has been born into an
important role. As Larcombe continued,
"How will Kate explain to George that he is the handsome prince and one of the characters
in a real life fairytale? [...] They will have to explain the extraordinary circumstances
he's been born into and hope as a result his head doesn't pop and he doesn't become a complete
lunatic, as has happened to some members of his family."
Although it's unclear which members of the royal family Larcombe is referring to, it's
clear that Prince George's life is far from normal. The royal author explained,
"Hopefully George can enjoy all the benefits of Royal life, but without the extraordinary,
weird impact of growing up in a goldfish bowl."
According to Larcombe, William and Kate have made it a priority to keep their children
as down to earth as possible. It appears that little George seems to have a sweet side as
well, and the Duchess of Cambridge opened up about the bond that her son shares with
his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Queen Elizabeth is accustomed to being addressed as Your Majesty and other respectful titles
that recognize her place at the top of the monarchy. However, when it comes to her great-grandchildren,
it appears that she offers a bit of leniency concerning her royal title.
In the ITV documentary Our Queen at 90, Kate Middleton revealed the unique title that George
adopted for Her Royal Majesty.
"George is only two-and-a-half, calls her 'Gan-Gan.'"
As Prince George was growing up and beginning to speak, he often called the queen "Gan-Gan"
because that's all he could manage at the time. In 2016, Kate Middleton discussed the
special relationship her son has with Queen Elizabeth, saying,
"She always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay, and that
just shows her love for her family."
Now that George is nearly 8 years old, the young royal may start calling Queen Elizabeth
something a bit more befitting of her station. After all, the little prince is growing up
quickly -- but regardless of how old he is, Queen Elizabeth appears to be smitten with
her adorable great-grandchildren.
Since Prince George is expected to one day take the throne as the King of England, it
won't surprise you to learn that George and Her Majesty have a pretty close relationship.
In fact, some sources have said that the queen even sees a little of herself in the young
prince. According to The Sun, Prince George is notably shyer than his sister, Princess
Charlotte. That's something that the queen herself can relate to, as she's long been
said to be a calmer and more shy person than her own younger sister, Princess Margaret.
Of course, Prince George is also very much his own person. A source close to the family
explained to The Sun that even though most of the world is still attached to the image
of a newborn George in their minds, he is definitely growing up. The source explained,
"While the outside world sees him as an infant, George is very much his own man. With younger
siblings Charlotte and Louis taking a lot of the attention at home, George is learning
to be more independent."
However, like his great-grandmother before him, it sounds like Prince George has an almost
innate awareness of the responsibility that comes with inheriting the throne, behaving
in a manner that's slightly more dignified than eight-year-olds you might know. As The
Sun's source put it,
"He has been protected from some of the realities about being third in line to the throne, but
it is almost as if he is hard-wired to feel a sense of responsibility."
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