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    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Former Royal Butler Says It Would Be "Very Strange" If Prince George "Stopped" One Royal "Tradition"

    Grant Harrold shared that if George bucked tradition, it would "be quite significant."

    Kristin Contino's avatar
    By Kristin Contino
    Published 20 October 2025 In News

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    Prince George wearing a blue suit and smiling
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    As Prince William and Princess Kate's eldest child, Prince George is set to becoming King one day. While that's a huge responsibility for a 12-year-old boy to even conceptualize, the Prince and Princess of Wales have slowly been introducing George to royal life—on their own terms. Prince George will move on to secondary school next year, and although it's unclear what his future plans will be, former royal butler Grant Harrold weighed in on one tradition that he'll likely carry on as King.

    Speaking on behalf of Study Dog, Harrold—who served King Charles at Highgrove House between 2004 and 2011—said that he believes Prince George will attend college one day, like his parents. "The real question is whether he will join the armed forces," Harrold shared.

    Traditionally, male members of the Royal Family have taken on military training, including Prince William and King Charles. And as King, Prince George would become Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces. "It is possible that he could take on the position of being head of the Armed Forces and have little or no experience within their armed forces, and learn about it on the job," Harrold noted. "But it would be very strange if he stopped the tradition in the military."

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    "Historically, royals were all about fighting battles and if suddenly that stops, that would be quite significant because that's a big part of what the Royal Family is about," Harrold added. "We've always had royals involved in the military or some sort, even if it's for a short period of time. So it should still continue."

    Of course, at just 12, Prince George's focus is on his studies—and his impending move. The Daily Mail reported that the Wales family will be pushing up their relocation date to early November, with Prince William, Princess Kate and their kids moving from their current Windsor home, Adelaide Cottage, to a much larger Georgian mansion, Forest Lodge.

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    Next September, George will be facing another big move when he leaves Lambrook School, where he attends alongside younger siblings Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7. The Prince and Princess of Wales haven't yet announced if George will be attending Eton College, as expected, or another prep school like Marlborough College, where Kate was educated. Either way, exciting changes are in store for the future King.

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    Prince George Prince William
    Kristin Contino
    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.

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