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How Queen Elizabeth II's Death Impacts Prince George's Royal Duties

Prince William's son, Prince George, is now second in line to throne following Queen Elizabeth II's death. Will his childhood be affected? Royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti weighs in.

By Allison Crist Sep 19, 2022 5:23 PMTags
Watch: How Will Prince George's Childhood Change?

Following the death of his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George of Wales is now second in line to the throne.

What exactly does this mean for the 9-year-old son of Prince William and Kate Middleton, though? According to royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti, not much—at least at the moment. "I think he's too young, really," Sacerdoti exclusively told E! News. "Though we do occasionally see him out. For example, we saw him at the Queen's 70th Jubilee celebrations in the audience with his parents and on the balcony."

Any other public appearances are likely to serve one purpose: a reminder that George is in the line of succession. As Sacerdoti pointed out, he posed in a rare royal portrait alongside the Queen, his father and King Charles III in 2020; a move that he believes "showed the continuity" of the British monarchy. 

The commentator continued, "Something that's really important to remember about the idea of a constitutional monarchy like the one we have here in the U.K. is that one of its strengths is that being done by birth means you always know who's coming. And that creates an amazing amount of stability."

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Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Funeral

But that's not to say Prince George is going to start attending all official engagements from now on. Occasional reminders of his position in the line of succession are simply "good for both the public and the future monarch himself," Sacerdoti added, "because they can both learn each other and get to know each other."

George's latest public appearance came during the Queen's funeral service at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 19, where he and his 7-year-old sister Princess Charlotte accompanied their parents to pay tribute to their Gan-Gan. (The pair's younger brother, Prince Louis, 4 did not attend the services.) George and Charlotte were among the youngest of the more than 2,000 mourners who said goodbye to the monarch during the ceremony.

See touching photos of the brother-sister duo at the somber service below.

Princess Charlotte
Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte
Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Meghan Markle
Princess Charlotte
Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte, Prince George
Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte, Prince George
Prince George, Princess Charlotte
Kate Middlleton, Prince George
Prince William, Kate Middlleton, Prince George
Prince William, Prince George
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