5 Traditions Prince William Had to Learn Differently Than Prince Harry

Prince William and Prince Harry might have grown up in the same family, but their upbringing could not have been more different. William was made aware of his role in the future at a very young age, and he was raised with certain traditions that Harry might not have faced very often. Being second in line meant William had to learn rules that came with his position; meanwhile, Harry had more freedom in some areas simply because he was not the direct heir.

William's position in the line of succession meant he had to prepare for responsibilities that Harry was never expected to inherit. When William turned 21, he became a Counsellor of State, and with it came a lot of preparation. Royal historian Robert Lacey said Queen Elizabeth began having William shadow her while he was still a teenager. Lacey told PEOPLE (via Vogue), “She would have him at Windsor Castle and would open the state boxes and guide him through the papers. It was William’s constitutional education.” Harry was once a Counsellor of State too after turning 21, but his position as the spare did not come with the same training for eventually becoming monarch.

William had trained for a military career just like Harry, but his position as the future King came with an important limitation. In 2008, he was not allowed to deploy to Afghanistan with his regiment, as there were risks involved with frontline service. But Harry was eventually allowed to serve in Afghanistan, where he spent 10 weeks on operations before his deployment was exposed by the media. However, William later found another way to serve operationally, and that was by becoming an RAF search and rescue pilot.

When Charles became King in September 2022, William's life changed in ways that went beyond simply moving one step closer to the throne. As Charles's eldest son and heir apparent, William automatically gained the title Duke of Cornwall the moment his father ascended, because the dukedom is a 685-year-old estate established in 1337 specifically to provide independence to the monarch's eldest son and heir. With the title came real financial weight: as the 25th Duke of Cornwall, William became entitled to the multimillion-pound annual net surplus from the Duchy's landed estate, income meant to cover both his public duties and his family's private life. Harry never had any of this waiting for him, because the title is built into the mechanics of succession itself, reserved for whoever stands to inherit the crown.

When William and Harry got their own household at St James's Palace in 2009, they also got their own royal ciphers. William's was a red 'W' topped with a coronet, matching the color used by Charles and Queen Elizabeth, and in line with the future monarch. Harry's was a blue 'H,' a shade similar to the one used by his mother, Princess Diana. Even this small royal detail reflected the different positions the brothers held in the family, as William was being prepared for a future as King while Harry was the spare.

Once William turned 12, he could no longer routinely fly on the same aircraft as his father. The reason was simple: if something happened to the plane, the first and second in line to the throne could not both be lost. Former royal pilot Graham Laurie confirmed that William had to start flying separately from Charles after his 12th birthday, unless the Queen gave special permission. Harry did not face the same restriction because he was the spare. In Spare, Harry pointed out the grim logic behind it, writing, “No one gave a damn who I traveled with; the Spare could always be spared” (via ABC News).