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The 'challenge' Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis could face in future

The Prince and Princess of Wales's children are expected to carry out public duties in future


George Charlotte and Louis ride in a carriage at Trooping the Colour 2022
Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
On 4 December 2023
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The Prince and Princess of Wales have long-fascinated people all over the world since their relationship was made public in 2004.

A lot has changed in the last 20 years, including the prevalence of social media, which has allowed the royals to connect to their followers in a different way.

But in the age of the smartphone, it has brought a newer set of challenges, as royal journalist Victoria Murphy points out on the latest episode of HELLO!'s A Right Royal Podcast.  

"I definitely think any public figure has huge additional challenges because of social media. I think that's really something that is going to come up for the next generation of royals," Victoria says. "William and Kate, when they had their courtship, it wasn't in the internet age."

Prince William and Kate met when they enrolled at the University of St Andrews in 2001 and are believed to have begun dating in 2003 after striking up a close friendship.

The couple married in 2011 and they have since become parents to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Kate takes a selfie with a member of the crowd© Getty
The royals live in the age of social media and smartphones

Victoria says: "Moving forward, how are they going to manage this for future generations? When William went to university, the media was off limits and in making the media coverage off limits, it meant that very little came out during his time at university, whereas that wouldn't necessarily translate now.

"If George, Charlotte or Louis go to university and the media is off limits, how do you police hundreds of university students with phones? How does that work? What does that mean for how their lives will have to play out or the people around them? So I think this is something that's going to be really quite fascinating to see how they manage this."

Listen to the full episode now…

Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Prince Louis currently attend Lambrook preparatory school in Berkshire, close to the family's Windsor home.

Future king George is likely to move schools when he is 13 and sat his first major set of tests last month – believed to be entrance exams for his future school.

The Wales family visit the 3rd Upton Scouts Hut in Slough, west of London© Getty
Louis carried out his first official engagement with the Scouts in May

He could follow in his father William's footsteps and attend nearby Eton College, or opt for his mother Kate's alma mater Marlborough College, a boarding school in Wiltshire.

William and Kate are protective over their children's privacy and have slowly introduced them to public outings in recent years. 

WATCH: George, Charlotte and Louis join the Big Help Out

The Princess also takes the official photographs of George, Charlotte and Louis on occasions such as birthdays and milestones, like their first day at school.

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