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Prince George Doesn't Realize He's Royal Yet! How Prince William and Kate Middleton Will Give Him a "Gentler" Childhood

Author Catherine Mayer weighs in on life behind the doors of Kensington Palace

By Francesca Bacardi Apr 21, 2015 4:27 PMTags
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Growing up royal definitely has its pros and cons, unless you're Prince George!

The little prince doesn't realize he's royal...yet. Catherine Mayer, author of Charles: The Heart of a King (international title), reveals exclusively to E! News that parents Kate Middleton and Prince William are trying to raise their firstborn with a sense of normalcy before letting him know he will one day be King of England.

"With George they are trying to delay that moment of realization and give him normality before they thrust this on him," Mayer tells E! News. "But it will be, nevertheless, part of his upbringing both in terms of what he sees his parents and grandparents doing and probably quite soon a beginning of an understanding that he is in public life and what that means."

The author reveals that Prince Charles had a rough time dealing with the weight of his future as a child, so they want to ease their son into his role as seamlessly as they can.

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"Prince Charles talked about how his position dawned on him with a horrible inexorability and he was already a very young boy there for his mother's coronation," she explains. "To a certain extent, all royals grow up with this understanding that they are different and that people will behave differently around them."

Unlike the royals who grew up isolated or "farmed out" to different nannies, Prince George will most likely grow up close to home, where he will have the support of his family. "This child, by contrast, is going to grow up with a lot of parental contact and to grow up with some semblance, at any rate, of normality," she says.

"Of course, this child is also going to grow up constantly on display and with the awareness of being watched," she adds. "So to that extent, it won't be a normal childhood but it will be a gentler kind of childhood."

Because Wills and Prince Harry are aware of the troublesome childhood their father experienced, they are both determined to "envelop the younger children with love and to convey that before they even convey the sense of duty that comes with the role."

With such strong heads on their shoulders, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge look like they're incredible parents with a great support system!

Love all things royal? Tune in this Sunday for a brand-new episode of The Royals at 10 p.m. on E!