Prince William is expected to give up his career as an Air Ambulance pilot to become a full-time royal.
However, it has been suggested that he will not take on more work than his 68-year-old father as he does not want to be seen as 'elbowing his father out of the way'.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to make a permanent move from Anmer Hall in Norfolk to Kensington Palace in September as Prince George starts school in London.
William, 34, is said to be keen to spend more time on causes that are important to him, including tackling homelessness and raising awareness about mental health issues.
But he is reportedly wary of being seen to be 'elbowing his father out of the way' and does not want to overshadow Prince Charles' role as heir to the throne.
A friend told The Sunday Times: 'Some people may question why William still won’t do as much as Princess Anne but he is dead set on not queering his father’s pitch.
'He sees that Charles will probably be in his seventies before he becomes king and he doesn’t want to be seen as elbowing his father out the way.'
William's move towards becoming a full-time royal comes as the Queen hands over some of her duties to younger members of the royal family.
The 90-year-old will be stepping down as patron of more than 20 national organisations in April, it was announced last month.
A royal source said there was 'no pressure from above' for William to increase his royal duties, adding that he 'has always been a lot less reluctant than people think to take on more work'.
He has faced criticism for his apparent reluctance to throw himself into royal duties and was accused by some of being 'work shy'.
Last year, he spent 80 days on official engagements, while Kate, 35, had visits and meetings on 63 days.
In comparison, Prince Philip, 95, carried out official meetings and visits on 110 days of the year, while Prince Charles spent 139 days on public engagements.
The Queen undertook official engagements on 80 days of the year, while Princess Anne had the busiest calendar with 179 days of engagements.
William responded to criticism last April by insisting that he takes his royal duties 'very seriously', adding that he would be the 'first person' to accept more responsibilities when the Queen decided it was time.
He began his job as a part-time pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance Service in 2015 and has spoken of his enjoyment of the role.
His piloting contract ends in March but it is thought that he may continue to work for the service until the summer.
William and Kate are reportedly hoping to expand their own Royal Foundation charity and want to focus more on causes like mental health.
The Duke and Duchess, along with Prince Harry, have openly lent their support to the helping people battle mental health issues and launched the Heads Together campaign last year.
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