Prince George could choose Harry and Meghan's 'fun' lifestyle over becoming King, republican claims

Prince George could be inspired by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to withdraw from the Royal Family when he turns 18, a British republican has warned. 

• Prince George may reject his destiny as King to enjoy more freedom in the US, a British republican has claimed. 
• The eight-year-old could be inspired by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to withdraw from the Royal Family and lead a more independent lifestyle. 
• In other royal news, Prince Harry is 'laying low' after realizing 'toll' on Queen.
  

Prince George may choose to shun his future as King and withdraw from the Royal Family, a British republican has claimed.

The eldest boy of the Queen's great-grandchildren is currently third in line to the throne, after his father, Prince William, and grandfather, Prince Charles, but his destiny to rule may not be as inevitable as people think. 

It's possible that the eight-year-old could follow in the footsteps of the Sussexes and discard his duties to the Crown, according to a group calling for the end of the British monarchy. 

Graham Smith, Republic's chief executive, has predicted that George will be enticed by Prince Harry's glitzy new life in California—so much so that he might even abandon his ties to London altogether. 

“I think that George will certainly look at that and go, well, that looks like more fun, and maybe I'll do that instead," he told the Daily Express. His comments echo those of royal author Clive Irving, who has claimed that Prince George may never be King.

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, announced that they would be 'stepping back' as senior royals and emigrating to North America with their son, Archie, in January 2020.

The high-profile move saw the couple swap their UK residence of Frogmore Cottage for a $14 million Santa Barbara mansion in Montecito, an affluent neighborhood that's home to the likes of Oprah Winfrey, and surrender all of their royal patronages to be redistributed. 

Since relocating to the states, Harry and Meghan have reached numerous milestones in both their personal and professional lives.

In February 2021, they revealed they were expecting their second child in a touching Instagram post. The couple welcomed a baby girl, Lilibet Diana, the following June, and took five months of parental leave from their Archewell foundation to focus on the newborn. 

They have also been busy with multiple work projects, having signed deals with Spotify and Netflix shortly after arriving in the US. If that wasn't impressive enough, the business savvy pair have also established their own entertainment and publishing firms in the tax haven state of Delaware. 

The opportunities that American life affords are bound to appeal to Prince George, who will already have family in the US if he chooses to make the move. 

"I just don't know why, when George turns 18, why he would look to the future and go, ‘being like my dad and granddad for the next 40 years sounds like a great idea,’ when he's got his uncle and cousins showing there’s an easier way of life," Graham added. 

Luckily, George won't have to make the decision any time soon. It's understood that Kate and William are determined to give George as normal of a childhood as possible, ensuring that he is kept (mostly) out of the spotlight and enjoys the same freedoms granted to his peers.