As the oldest son of the heir to the throne, Prince William has always known what his future holds.
But the Duke of Cambridge was determined to live his own life before dedicating himself to the throne and the role of King.
Unlike his father, he spent years preparing his future wife for the role of a royal bride, and he was determined to have a career of his own away from official duties.
However, an insider has claimed that his chosen path "raised some eyebrows" among Palace staff and certain members of the team didn't believe it was a good fit for a future king.
After graduating from St. Andrews University in Scotland, William joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and worked his way up the ranks to become a Lieutenant in 2007.
He decided to focus his military career on flying and began training as a Search and Rescue pilot in 2009.
Once he left the military he decided to build on this training and become an Air Ambulance Pilot and worked for East Anglian Air Ambulance.
However, an insider said the career path didn't go down well with everyone.
They told the Times : "There were lots of raised eyebrows in the Palace when he wanted to do that.
"While the Queen and his father backed him, some senior courtiers questioned whether it was becoming of a future king to be doing such a middle-class role, hanging out with ordinary people.
"They thought he wouldn't stick it out, he'd find it boring, or was doing it out of stubbornness to put off royal duties.
"He was pretty bloody-minded about it and determined that other people's expectations in the media or they system shouldn't get in the way of his own values."
And William followed his dream and got the job, working for the charity from March 2015 until July 2017.
Sign up for the Mirror's daily newsletter for all the latest royal news. Click here for more information
He worked alongside specialist doctors and critical care paramedics to save lives across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Speaking about the role, he said: "It has been a huge privilege to fly with the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
"I have loved being part of a team of professional, talented people that save lives every day.
"My admiration for our country's medical and emergency services community could not be any stronger."
