Prince William has shown he is a man ready for the role of King despite his "initial reluctance", a royal expert has claimed.
The young royal has known from a very early age that he is likely to be King one day in the future.
However, as a young boy, William is said to have often confided in his mother the late Princess Diana that "he didn’t want to be king”.
This led to Prince Harry quipping: "If you don’t want the job I’ll have it."
And according to former royal correspondent Jennie Bond, the burden of kingship did "weigh heavily" on a young William's shoulders.
However, now as he approaches his 40th birthday later this year, Jennie says his outlook for his future is different.
She told OK! : "I think we did see a reluctance to take on the role earlier on, in his early adolescence, he knew his destiny as none of the rest of us do from such an early age."
"But in the last couple of years he has shown convincingly that he is the man for the role and that he cares about being king.
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"He absolutely fully accepts the role and the responsibility destiny has put his way."
With the Queen now aged 95 and starting to wind back from duties, William has become more and more relied upon by the royals.
Whether it's been involved in family decision-making, handling scandals, or carrying out sensitive engagements, William is often at the centre of it all.
In fact, last October, Mirror royal editor Russell Myers referred to William as a "trusted lieutenant" of the Queen.
Not only does William seem popular within in family - but he is also popular with the public.
Andrew Lownie, the author of several historical books on the royals, told the Express : "We’re in a period of what can be called a soft regency, in effect the Queen is standing back, not doing many roles.
"The roles that she is doing are being accompanied by Prince Charles, everyone is being prepared for Charles and Camilla.
“As a result, William and Kate, who seem to be very popular, are stepping into the position that Charles and Camilla had.
“Because they are, I would say almost more popular than Charles and Camilla, they’ve probably been given a higher role."
