As the eldest son of Prince William, Prince George is next in line to the British throne. With that future comes enormous expectations — the kind that traditionally weigh heavily on those destined to become monarch.

But the Prince and Princess of Wales are doing everything they can to give their children, especially George, a grounded and relatively ordinary upbringing. And in George’s case, there’s something particularly unique about his heritage that sets him apart.

At just 11 years old, Prince George is said to be growing up in a way that Prince William once described as being royal “with a smaller r.” Reports suggest that his childhood has been refreshingly normal — at least by royal standards.

He lives with his family in a modest four-bedroom home on the Windsor Castle estate. And while his parents have tried to shield him from the pressures of royal life, there’s one aspect of his future they can’t change: he’s set to make history.

George will one day become the first British king whose mother came from a non-aristocratic background.

Kate Middleton’s Groundbreaking Role

This fact often surprises people, especially since William’s mother, Princess Diana, was frequently referred to as a “commoner.” But technically, Diana hailed from the aristocratic Spencer family, making her anything but common in the traditional sense.

In contrast, Princess Kate truly does come from what the British class system once regarded as a “commoner” background.

Before becoming the Princess of Wales, Kate was even teased by some of William’s more elite friends, who made snide remarks about her mother’s former job as a flight attendant for British Airways — a perfectly normal profession by most standards.

A Different Kind of Royal Childhood

William and Kate have worked hard to give Prince George a more relaxed and less formal upbringing — a significant departure from the strict royal childhoods of generations past.

King Charles, for instance, was raised with a “stiff upper lip,” and even William, though given a few moments of normalcy by Princess Diana, didn’t have an easy path.

Despite Diana’s efforts to allow William and Harry to experience the real world — like attending public schools — they still faced intense media scrutiny. William, in particular, was relentlessly followed by the press, and at just 15, he faced the tragic loss of his mother.

Growing up in front of the cameras came with its own set of challenges.

Kate’s Influence on Royal Parenting

In the Channel 5 documentary Prince George: How To Make a Monarch, one royal expert suggested that the Princess of Wales brings something vital to royal parenting: perspective.

Thanks to her grounded upbringing, Kate offers a valuable contrast to royal tradition — one that could help shape Prince George into a modern, well-balanced monarch of the future.