When Prince William graduates from Sandhurst in two months time he begins a three-year commission in the military which will take him away from his home and loved-ones. The second-in-line can look forward to spending plenty of time in familiar surroundings once his time in the forces comes to an end, however, as he is planning to take over the running of his grandparents' favourite estate.
Sources close to the royal say that although he wants to be treated like any other soldier, William has accepted it's unlikely he'll see active duty, and has therefore decided to leave the services after his commission ends.
There will be plenty of hard work awaiting the Prince when he takes over from the Duke of Edinburgh as Windsor's Official Ranger, though. Prince Philip has dedicated himself to the role for over half a century, and will be 88 when the time comes for Wills to fill the role.
Taking charge of the historic estate will give the Prince the opportunity to indulge two of his greatest passions – the countryside and spending time with his grandparents. Among the other leading royals who have acted as guardians of the 5,000-acre estate, which was built by William the Conqueror 1,000 years ago, are Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert.
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