Kate Middleton Faces “Painful Dilemma” As Her Three Children Carry the Burden of Ensuring the Monarchy’s Future

If you think being the future Queen is easy, think again. In addition to her own work— in which one of the job duties is being one of the most famous women in the world (casual)—the Duchess of Cambridge is raising three kids in the bizarre royal fishbowl. Her eldest son’s destiny has been plotted out for him since birth, and her other two children will never know total normalcy.

According to The Sun, as the number of working royals dwindles, that means her kids—Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4—will likely face even more pressure than normal. It’s a “painful dilemma,” the outlet says, as her children will carry the burden on their tiny shoulders of ensuring the monarchy’s future.

“The pressure on them is going to be intense to help ensure the survival of the British monarchy, an institution which can easily be traced back to the ninth century,” writes Daniela Elser in the New Zealand Herald, via The Sun. “Imagine having the weight of more than 1,200 years of history constantly on your shoulders. It must be painful for Kate to know that while other kids look at the future with goggle-eyed wonder, her children’s paths look set in Portland stone.”

Not too terribly long ago, the list of working royals was extensive, and, if you will, the royal call sheet was deep. Now, after Prince Philip’s retirement and passing, we have Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their two children in California; the disgraced Prince Andrew is out of the mix, and his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are largely out of the royal limelight as well. Other working royals like the Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester are deep into their seventies and eighties, which leaves the number of working royals during Prince Charles’ future reign very low. It could be even lower numbers by Prince William’s and, eventually, George’s.

“One thing that has never been speculated about or reported on in any of the approximately 8,774,573,498 stories about Megxit are any concerns they might have had leaving the royal family short-staffed,” Elser writes. “There is no way that I can see that, at this stage, Charlotte and Louis will have anywhere near the latitude and freedom to ever make a similar choice. The only possible candidates to step in and help [George] carry the burden here are his siblings, meaning that, like it or not, all three of the Cambridge children could very well be dragooned into working royal life, whether they fancy the gig or not.”

Kate always knew George’s destiny; now, it seems, all three might be locked into royal life no matter their preference about the decision.

“That simple joy of imagining what you might be when you grow up is a privilege George, and, very possibly, Charlotte and Louis, will never really get,” Elser writes.

So, yeah, being the future Queen, and especially being a royal mum? Far, far tougher than it looks.