I’m old enough to remember when Prince William was growing up, we would hear all kinds of stories about how he was a “deep thinker,” and “very smart” and “cautious.” Maybe he was all of those things as a kid, but maybe the palace just has certain words and descriptors they use for “the heir” as a kid. The narratives between Harry and William were set so early on – William the wise/astute/cautious/smart prince, Harry the rowdy/funny/joker/dumb/sassy prince. Well, we’re already seeing the same kind of royal branding for the Cambridge children now. Prince George is being pulled aside from his younger siblings and he’s already being assigned certain characteristics. Charlotte and Louis will get their own brands too – Charlotte will be “just like Kate” and “a perfect little lady.” Louis will be rowdy, temperamental, a bit wild. But George will need “heir” qualities, like this:

A royal role model! Prince George does his best to set a good example for his younger siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as he gets older and settles into his role as the future king.

“George is a hard worker. He sometimes needs a nudge like all kids his age but he’s very smart and right up there at the top of his class,” a source says exclusively of the 8-year-old royal in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “He’s very protective of his younger siblings and goes out of his way to help his mother with the household chores, especially when it earns him extra time on electronics!”

The young monarch, who is gearing up to celebrate his birthday later this month, is a “well-grounded down-to-earth little boy,” who has similar interests to other children his age. “He’s very sociable and can chat for hours about his favorite soccer players, plus he loves rugby, cricket, all forms of sports really,” the insider says, adding that he and his father, Prince William, frequently bond over their shared passions.

“He’s definitely a daddy’s boy,” the source says. “It’s not just their physical resemblance, they’ve got a ton of the same interests and hobbies in common – even helicopters!”

Though he and Duchess Kate have done their best to give George a relatively normal childhood, he is already aware of his role in the British Royal family. “He’s well aware that one day he’ll be King and what that entails because William and the other senior royals including his grandpa [Prince] Charles and great grandmother the Queen have told him from an early age about his destiny,” the insider reveals. “He sees it as a huge honor and frequently asks his dad to loan him books about history, he loves listening to stories about his ancestors and the history of the Commonwealth, not just England. It’s very clear he takes it all very seriously and is dedicated to serving the Crown when his time eventually comes.”

[From Us Weekly]

I suspect George is very “normal,” all things considered, but he definitely notices that he’s treated differently than his siblings. I suspect that in addition to the special favor he gets from William, Charles and the Queen, he also gets special favor from his Middleton relations too. God knows how Carole has tried to “prepare” George. I also think that George probably is more of a “daddy’s boy” right now. While William might be lazy and unfaithful, he does seem to care a lot about how the children are raised, with a special interest in George, obviously. Sometimes I wonder if William is self-aware enough to understand that his own heir-status was the only reason why the Middletons trapped him, and if he’s trying to undo some of that with George. Very complicated dynamics, honestly.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images and Backgrid.