In tandem almost with his brother Prince Harry, Prince William has decided to end his military training at the beginning of 2009. He plans to devote his time to charity work and begin to prepare himself in earnest for his future role as King.

He made clear though that he will do it his way and not become a “full-time meet and greeter”, like some other members of the Royal Family.

William insists he wants to understand his own strengths and weaknesses and gain more insight into the workings of the country over which he will one day reign.

The news comes soon after Prince Harry, described as”humiliated and depressed”, told friends he had decided to quit the Army and become a fulltime working member of the Royal Family.

Next Thursday will be William’s 25th birthday and he has clearly rethought his aims and allegiances. In advance of that milestone, courtiers and friends painted a picture of a Prince who has seemingly accepted his destiny.

He apparently regards his future with enthusiasm and optimism, but will tackle it in his own way and at his own pace. A senior Royal source commented, “He has really matured in the last few years and has come to terms, however reluctantly, with the idea that he is the ’star of the show’. As a result, he is starting to approach his duties with a grace and humour that is winning people over. The idea that he wants to shirk his duties is a gross misrepresentation. The difference is that he doesn’t want to feel his entire life is being mapped out in front of him like a set of railway lines.

“Instead, he wants actively to formulate his future plans and play to his strengths. He will move fairly quickly into the role of being a working Royal but it will be on his own terms.”

Unlike Harry, William has always known that he will never be a career soldier and he will also be spending time learning about the work of the RAF and Royal Navy. We now know that this period of familiarization will be shorter than expected.

The Daily Mail reports, “After he finishes his tank training at Bovington, Dorset, this summer, William will take part in a handful of exercises with his men and leave the Army by the beginning of next year. Afterwards, he will spend a few months with each of the other two branches of the military, before moving on.”

An aide says, “William will definitely leave at the beginning of 2009. That said, he is totally and utterly committed to what he is doing. The key thing for him is to earn his stripes and his credibility.”

William doesn’t just want to put on his medals and parade about. As a future head of the Armed Forces, he wants to experience what they go through, first hand. He also wants to take a bigger role at showpiece Royal events, such as Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph.

The aide continued, “William is a very thoughtful young man and the key thing for him is to expand the areas that interest him most, with an emphasis on young people, the marginalized and disadvantaged as well as conservation. He has inherited his father’s passion for the environment and wants to learn more about land and its management. That’s important for when he eventually takes over the Duchy of Cornwall portfolio, which provides the income for the Princes of Wales.”

Surprisingly, the key to William’s new-found confidence is his brother Harry. Recently, they are said to have become “as thick as thieves”.

“They are a great double act partly because Harry is more instinctive, emotional and upfront while William is more cautious. They work well together,” said a source presumed to be Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton.

Many will also want to know about William’s future love life in the aftermath of his split from Kate Middleton. A friend said, “William is wary of becoming close to anyone because of the way in which Kate was so heavily touted as a future bride. Plus he is a virile young man who just wants to let his hair down and sample what’s out there before he settles down.”

Given what has befallen the gung-ho Harry in the Army, these are sensible decisions by William. He seems to have his head screwed on and know where he’s going. How refreshing in these free-wheeling times.