Prince George is aware that one day he is set to be King - but it's not made a big deal of by his parents, a royal expert has said.
George is third in line to the throne behind his grandfather Prince Charles and his dad Prince William.
And in recent months, he has made more public appearances than ever - and even played a prominent role in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
But according to royal expert Katie Nicholl, William and his mum Kate are keen to play down George's future role - despite their son understanding the order of succession.
Katie told OK! : "William struggled with [knowing his destiny] when he was a young man and he's very keen George doesn’t experience that same sense of burden from an early age.
"George understands the order of succession, and he knows that one day he will be king, but he also knows that’s a long way in the future. It's not made into a big deal."
As well as the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, George also joined his parents at Wimbledon for the first time earlier this month and accompanied them on a trip to Cardiff in June.
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And according to Katie, William and Kate carefully select the events to take George to as they want him to be comfortable.
She added: "He’s not as outgoing or as extroverted as his sister or little brother but he seems quite comfortable taking on the few public duties he's done.
"The engagements that William and Kate have brought him to are things where George is going to feel comfortable."
Last week George turned nine, with mum Kate carrying on the tradition of releasing a picture, taken by her, to mark his birthday.
Meanwhile, the Queen also shared a sweet birthday message to mark the occasion.
The Head of State wrote the message on her official Twitter account where she thanked the band of the Irish Guards for a special treat put on for the young royal.
The post included a video of the band of the Irish Guards playing Happy Birthday along with a heartfelt message.
The caption read: "Thank you @irishguardsband for playing Happy Birthday to mark Prince George's birthday today!
"The Duke of Cambridge is the Colonel of the @irish_guards."
William became Colonel of the Irish Guards in 2011 and wore the uniform during his wedding to Kate that same year.
