As Prince George
celebrates his 13th birthday today, let’s look back at a
few of the biggest public moments of his life so far!
A KING IS BORN
Prince George Introduced to
the World YouTube / Fair Use
The global media and royal watchers spent weeks
watching the door at St. Mary’s Hospital in the hopes of witnessing
the birth of a future king. When the news came that Catherine was
in labour on 22 July 2013, the frenzy hit a fever pitch! Finally,
the news came at 4:24 pm that Catherine had been safely delivered
of a son.
The next day, the newborn prince was presented to the
world—those doors finally opened!—and we got our first glimpse of
the still-unnamed Prince George Alexander Louis.
As Catherine said to reporters: “It’s very emotional. It’s
such a special time. I think any parent will know what this feeling
feels like.”
PRINCE GEORGE’S FIRST ROYAL VISIT
Following in his father’s footsteps, Prince George undertook his
first official royal visit of Australia and New Zealand less than a
year after his birth. In April 2014, the youngster spent three
weeks touring two of the largest Commonwealth realms and gained the
title of ‘Republic Slayer’ for how much goodwill he generated for
the monarchy in Australia.
Though he was largely kept out of the public eye on this tour,
we were still treated to a few public engagements, including the
sweet moment William and Catherine brought him to the Taronga Zoo
in Sydney to meet George the Bilby, who had been named in his
honour.
Since then, Prince George has accompanied his parents on visits
to Canada, Poland and Germany.
A MASTER OF DIPLOMACY
President Barack Obama talks
with the Duke of Cambridge while the Duchess of Cambridge plays
with Prince George; at left First Lady Michelle Obama talks with
Prince Henry of Wales, at Kensington Palace in London April 22,
2016. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
I’d feel confident on betting that the photo of Prince George
shaking hands with then-President Barack Obama in 2016 will be
featured in every retrospective of his life.
When President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama visited the
United Kingdom in April 2016, their itinerary included dinner at
Kensington Palace with William and Catherine and Prince Harry. In
handout photos supplied of the private dinner and meeting, Prince
George was greeting the American president in his bathrobe and
playing on the wooden toy horse that the presidential couple had
gifted him three years earlier upon his birth.
Later that year at the White House Correspondents Dinner,
President Obama, who was in the final stretch of his presidency,
used his speech to poke fun at how the world was ready to move on
from him.
“Last week Prince George showed up to our meeting in his
bathrobe. That was a slap in the face,” he joked.
MEETING SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH
Personally, I adore the photo of Prince George, Princess
Charlotte and Prince Louis meeting with Sir David Attenborough
because they’re reacting like they’ve met a Beatle or Taylor
Swift.
In October 2020, William hosted the legendary environmentalist
at Kensington Palace for a socially-distanced screening of A
Life on Our Planet and the kids got a chance to meet him as
well. During the visit, Prince George received a
23-million-year-old shark tooth from Attenborough, which should be
a gift he brags about for the rest of his life.
In a complementary video where people asked Attenborough nature
questions, three of the most viral moments came from Prince George,
Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. While his younger sister and
brother wanted to know if Attenborough liked spiders (yes) and
which animal did he like best (monkeys), Prince George wanted to
know which animal might go extinct next. Attenborough gave an
optimistic answer on how we can all work together to ensure that it
doesn’t happen.
A PHOTOGRAPH FOR THE AGES
Photo: Ranald
Mackechnie
To mark the beginning of the 2020s, Ranald Mackechnie
photographed Queen Elizabeth II with her direct heirs in an
official portrait released in early January 2020.
Elizabeth II is only the second monarch in history to have such
a lengthy string of direct heirs while she was alive to see it (the
other, of course, was the similarly long-reigning Queen Victoria):
Charles III, William (then-Duke of Cambridge) and George.
As Elizabeth II geared up to celebrate 70 years on the throne,
it was a poignant show of her legacy and how she secured the future
of the British monarchy.
AN HONOURABLE ROLE AT HIS GRANDFATHER’S
CORONATION
Hugo Burnand/ Buckingham
Palace
On 6 May 2023, King Charles III arrived at Westminster Abbey for
his coronation in splendid robes attended to by his pages of
honour. Among them: Prince George. This marked the first time a
future king participated in a coronation that wasn’t his own.
The dutiful grandson was robed in a scarlet frock coat and black
pants for the occasion and got a front-row seat to what awaits him
in the future.
While he has attended major ceremonial events throughout his
life, including Platinum Jubilee events and the state funeral of
his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, this marked a major
turning point for the future king.
VISITING WITH SECOND WORLD WAR VETERANS
Picture by i-Images /
Pool
The British Royal Family was at the forefront of VE Day 80
celebrations in 2025, and Prince George joined his family at the
public parade to honour those who served and sacrificed their lives
during the Second World War.
Later in the day, as senior royals attended a tea party for
veterans at Buckingham Palace, the young prince surprised everyone
by joining his parents. What was especially charming was that it
was Prince George’s request to attend so that he could meet
veterans and speak with them about their experiences.
D-Day veteran Alfred Littlefield told the future king, “You
know, it’s very important you are here today. It’s days like this
that we should use to talk about things like this, so the younger
generation can have some understanding. There aren’t many of us
left.”
THE SPORTS FAN
Stephen Lock/
i-Images
Aside from attending major family events like Trooping the
Colour, Christmas walks, and the Together at Christmas carol
service, Prince George is most reliably seen at sporting
events.
He has attended the Wimbledon men’s singles final for the past
several years and has been a fixture when the British national
football team plays in tournaments; though both he and his football
fanatic father missed out on attending World Cup matches this
year.
Showing up at major sporting events is an easy way to indulge
the public appetite for seeing the Wales children while also
guaranteeing that the kids will have a great time while the
spotlight’s on them. As they’ve all been raised outdoorsy and
athletic, it’s not a wonder that Prince George is such a fan of
every sport he watches!