This Royal Could Become Prince George's "Greatest Asset" When He Becomes King

A new documentary reveals who George could lean on for support.

Prince George riding in a carriage next to Princess Charlotte at Trooping the Colour 2024
(Image credit: Getty Images)

As the son of Prince William and grandson of King Charles, Prince George's entire future has been laid out for him since birth. And while the 11-year-old has mentioned his dream job as a child, his role as the eventual King is (fairly) set in stone. With George turning 12 this summer and soon heading to a new school, there's been plenty of talk about how he's preparing to become the next Prince of Wales, and eventually King.

In a new Channel 5 documentary, Prince George: How to Make a Monarch, various royal experts weighed in on George's upbringing and how the Prince and Princess of Wales are raising the future King. Comparing Prince George to King Charles, Vanity Fair's Katie Nicholl said the young prince might look to his grandfather's relationship with Princess Anne as an example of support.

"Charles and Anne were incredibly close and you do see a closeness between Charlotte and George. Rather than Charlotte being a threat to George, she will be possibly his greatest asset," Nicholl said.

Prince George lighting a candle in church from Princess Charlotte in December 2024

Prince George is seen with Princess Charlotte at the 2024 Together at Christmas concert.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Charlotte wearing sunglasses with her finger on her lip sitting next to Prince George at Wimbledon

The brother/sister duo enjoyed some tennis at Wimbledon in 2023.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Princess Royal, 74, takes on an astonishing number of royal engagements each year, topping the "hardest working" list year after year. If Charlotte follows in her great aunt's footsteps, she would certainly be a tremendous help to her brother when he carries out his duties as King—especially with the shrinking number of senior royals in recent years.

She's already shown her leadership qualities at the age of 9, showing her brothers how to act during The King's 2023 coronation and other royal events. Supernanny Jo Frost even remarked on Charlotte's upstanding behavior, telling Hello! that "Charlotte knows the rules."

"She’s the one in the middle," Frost added. "She knows how to keep everyone in good stead. There are moments when I’ve watched George and he’s looked over at his sister, and he’s probably annoyed with her one minute and then grateful that she’s there being able to remind him of things, when he’s taking it all in as well."

Speaking during the Channel 5 documentary, psychotherapist Lucy Beresford noted that Charlotte likely doesn't share the competitiveness or "tension" with George as a sister. "If your eldest sibling is the same gender as you, how are you going to compete?" she asked.

"That sense of the firstborn is going to get all of the love and I am going to get left with nothing. If you’re a different gender, somehow you haven’t got quite the same tension that you have with same-sex siblings," Beresford shared.

Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.