William kicks a ball around the walled garden of Kensington Palace in June 1984

Early years: William kicks a ball around the walled garden of Kensington Palace in June 1984 (left) and prepares to board the Royal Yacht Britannia at Southampton Docks to sail for the Western Isles with his parents and brother Harry in August 1985 (right)

He has to tell his superiors by the end of this year whether he wants to continue flying and is, as we speak, ‘very seriously’ weighing up his options.

His gut instinct is to jump at the chance both because he loves it, and because he appreciates he is being the opportunity to lead a so-called normal life that few of his predecessors - his father included - have ever been given.

Indeed, sources close to the prince are at pains to stress that neither the Queen nor Charles are putting ‘any pressure on him whatsoever’, and insist that he must do what is best for himself and for Kate.

But in his more realistic moments, William himself is the first to admit that ‘the pressures of my other life are building.’

His 91-year-old grandfather’s two recent bouts of ill health – his heart surgery before Christmas and his recent hospitalisation after a bladder infection – have rammed home the unpalatable truth that the senior members of his family are not getting any younger, and it is time for a glamorous new generation to step into the fray.

‘Given the chance, he would like to continue with his work,’ says a friend. ‘But you shouldn’t assume that he will chose to stay in it, as other factors are most definitely coming into play.