Prince William and his wife, Catherine, have made one notable change that could show he is seeking to set a “new tone,” a royal commentator has claimed.
Prince George reached a significant milestone this week, turning 13 in a celebration marked by two distinctly different releases from his parents.
As is now tradition, the Prince and Princess of Wales posted a new photo of the young prince, where he can be seen wearing a smart, navy suit, looking casual with his top button undone and hands in his pockets as he leans on a black railing in the background.
Later in the day, Kensington Palace also shared beach footage captured during their Easter getaway to Cornwall to celebrate George’s milestone birthday.
In the clip, filmed in the south west of England, George can be seen sporting sunglasses while waving and grinning at the camera, batting in a game of beach cricket, and scrambling over rocks without shoes alongside his younger brother Prince Louis.
Yet one subtle but telling detail united both social media posts: neither used George’s royal title.
The second in line to the throne was referred to simply by his first name – a practice William and Catherine have also adopted for Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on their birthdays, too.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond sees this deliberate informality as deeply significant, particularly as a reflection of William’s ambitions for the institution he will one day lead.
“I love the fact that they refer to him – and their other children – simply by their Christian names, without the formality or pomposity of using their titles,” she told the Mirror.
Prince George reached a significant milestone this week, turning 13 in a celebration marked by two distinctly different releases from his parents
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“It sets a new tone, a tone that William has spoken about: being royal with a small ‘r’,” she said.
This year’s suited image represents a notable departure from George’s 12th birthday photograph, which captured him dressed in relaxed country attire in Norfolk.
It also stands apart from the more informal settings chosen for Charlotte and Louis’s birthday portraits.
Mrs Bond believes this shift in presentation carries particular significance for the eldest Wales child.
George was referred to simply by his first name — a practice William and Catherine have also adopted for Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on their birthdays, too
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“For William and Catherine, it is a way of protecting their children, and it is working well,” she explained. “And this year we got a bit of both: the fun video of George on holiday with his siblings, and the much smarter one in his suit (happily without his tie!).”
She added: “These pictures will be part of the history books, so I suppose it’s important to start seeing this lovely young boy as a future King. And seeing him in his suit helps mark his transition from child to teenager.”
The tradition of releasing an annual birthday photo has been a “highly successful tactic,” she continued.
“I suspect this tradition will continue because it’s part of a bargain whereby one or two excellent images are released to keep us all informed about how George is doing – and then he is left alone.”
George’s 13th birthday arrives at a pivotal juncture in his young life. Like his father, as George enters his teenage years he prepares to up sticks and move to Eton College, the esteemed all-boys institution in Windsor.
Both William and Prince Harry were educated there during their youth.
He will arrive on September 8 alongside friends from Lambrook and familiar faces from the prep-school sporting circuit.