Speaking to the Mirror, Ms Nicholl added: “[Prince] William has the sense to know that the public need to fall in love with George as a youngster.”
She added: “He has to have a presence, and he can’t be kept under lock and key and only introduced when he’s 18.”
Alongside his younger sister and brother – Princess Charlotte, 10, and seven-year-old Prince Louis – George only typically appears at major royal events such as Trooping the Colour, the Easter Sunday service and the Christmas Day walkabout at Sandringham.
The young royals have also joined their parents at high-profile national events.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte have made appearances at Wimbledon, including again this July, while all three of them took part in King Charles’s Coronation in May 2023.
William is said to have prepared his eldest son for what lays ahead, with Ms Nicholl stating: “The aides I’ve spoken to and those who know him best say he is absolutely prepared
“Of course, it’s not a moment he wants to think about. He loves his father and wants him to be around for a long time, but when the time comes, he will be ready.”