Better pizza chef than king Prince George turns 12 - these are his new duties

Carlotta Henggeler

22.7.2025

Happy birthday, Prince George. Prince William and Princess Kate's son celebrated his 12th birthday today. This means the future king has new responsibilities. He would rather be a pizza chef.

22.07.2025, 10:28

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Prince George celebrated his 12th birthday on July 22nd and thus takes on new royal duties according to etiquette.
In future, he will no longer fly with his father for safety reasons, although exceptions are still possible.
Despite his predetermined role as future king, George would like to become a pizza chef, according to an earlier visit to a restaurant.

A big day for the young prince: Prince George celebrates his 12th birthday today, July 22, 2025.

This means the future King of the Commonwealth will have to make new commitments. And there are quite a few.

A prince in training

Because from this age, according to royal etiquette, George should no longer travel on the same plane as his father. The risk of two heirs to the throne losing their lives in the event of a crash would be too great. Prince George is second in line to the British throne after his father.

However, this rule is not set in stone, as constitutional expert Craig Prescott from Royal Holloway University of London explains in an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "As far as I know, it is common for the monarch to suspend this rule for a particular flight, and this has been the case in the past," says the expert.

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The question is also in what form the royal family will maintain the practice at all.

According to Prescott, it could be that father and son will continue to be on board together, especially on short flights - for environmental reasons and to save money. This is because the rule was originally created at a time when air travel was much less safe, explains the expert.

In the new year of the prince's life, however, the focus is likely to be not only on traveling, but above all on his school career. Speculation is rife as to which secondary school George will soon be attending. Will it be the famous elite boarding school Eton, where his father went? Kate, at least, is unlikely to be impressed. According to reports, she - like William's late mother Princess Diana - is keen for her children to have as normal a childhood as possible.

It is considered certain that George will attend the exclusive boarding school, just like his father. Prince William graduated from school with degrees in geography, biology and art history and later studied in Scotland.

Military career is open

Traditionally, heirs to the British throne pursue a military career - after all, the monarch is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. However, this convention could change for Prince George, the eldest son of Crown Prince William and Princess Kate. The royal couple are committed to a modern upbringing, and not just in terms of schooling.

According to British media reports, George could take a different path in future. A close friend of Prince William said: "In theory, there's nothing to stop George from pursuing a career as an astronaut if that's what he wants - and then becoming king. The rules are different now, he wouldn't necessarily have to follow the old formula of going into the military."

A pizza chef rather than king

So his path seems to be predetermined. Yet he would rather choose a different "profession": During a restaurant visit in the fall of 2024, George was allowed to get a taste of restaurateur Desmond MacCarthy. According to the British newspaper "Daily Mail", he realized what he would like to work as: a pizza chef.

With material from the news agency dpa