Throughout the past week, Kensington Palace has authorized some birthday coverage for Prince George, who turned 13 years old yesterday. The palace has gone overboard in their predictable way, making George sound like the biggest athlete and best future-future king ever. The palace has also made George’s birthday all about his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales. It feels like Prince William and Kate are showing everyone the scorecard that they alone control, and they’re giving themselves A+++ all around. “Look at us, we’re such amazing parents” has never ended well in the history of childrearing. Well, the Mail’s Becky English finally wrote her birthday-keenery for George, and it’s worth noting how half-assed this is from English. Like, her heart was not in this at all. Some highlights:
George’s blessed life: Blessed with his parents’ height and good looks, the young royal is now in his teenage years and preparing for life at Eton College in the autumn. It will be the first time since 2019 that he hasn’t been at school with at least one of his two siblings (first at Thomas’s Battersea with Princess Charlotte and more recently with her and Prince Louis at Lambrook in Berkshire). The Wales clan is famously close-knit and it will be a huge leap for the future King George VII by any standard. But the Prince and Princess of Wales are devoted, hands-on parents who have already been carefully helping their eldest son to prepare and adjust.
George the boarder: Over the last couple of years, George has started boarding at his present school several nights a week and has a strong group of similarly sporty friends, some of whom are expected to join him at £64,000-a-year Eton. It is also a stone’s throw from the family’s ‘forever home’, Forest Lodge at Windsor, and he will be allowed regular ‘exeat’ weekends home, as well as holidays. He is said to be nervous but excited at the prospect.
George won’t be rushed: At the same time, William and Kate are continuing to guide George along a controlled path to public life. Both are acutely aware of the pitfalls of the past. While acknowledging that every generation has a different approach to official duties, they are adamant that their children will not be rushed, while mainly enjoying as normal a life as possible, albeit very privileged.
Natural awkwardness: When George has undertaken more forward-facing engagements of late, he has displayed an endearing mixture of eagerness, interest and the perfectly natural awkwardness any youngster might have when out with his parents and shaking hands with a group of adults. At Wimbledon this month, he smiled and shook hands at the right times, but also looked down shyly, scuffed his shoes and fiddled with his cuffs, before exchanging giggles with his sister when they donned large straw hats in the Royal Box. Exactly as any other boy of his age might do.
William wants George to help the marginalized: And it looked like he was genuinely having fun with his father when he was taken along to serve Christmas dinner at The Passage centre for the homeless in central London in December. Indeed, William has been particularly keen that his son inherit his determination to help the lost and marginalised in society, having openly talked about the issue of rough sleeping with his children from an early age.
George looks up to Kate! George is also said to hugely look up to his mother, who is described to me as the ‘heart and soul’ of the family. They share the same sportiness and quietly competitive nature –George, I am told, is a talented triathlete (and pretty handy with a tennis racquet too) – and has inherited both her love of the outdoors and artistic talent. He is also, I am told, ‘obsessed’ by flying. Something of a family trait.
William & Kate will endure public criticism for their children: Another source adds that they ‘have always, always put their family first’, even if it risked public criticism in terms of public duties and visibility, and George’s growing confidence in public is, happily, the end result. ‘William and Catherine have ripped up the royal rule book and rewritten it themselves,’ they say.
‘It’s prompted debate at times, I know, but I would argue when you see those children, who are such a credit to their parents, then you can’t disagree with their approach.’
“You can’t disagree with their approach…” As I keep saying, we’ll see. William and Kate are giving themselves glowing reviews before the kids have even grown up. William was in his late 20s and 30s before people got a really good look at who he actually is, but the markers were there long before. This is also an interesting piece of PR fluff: “George is also said to hugely look up to his mother, who is described to me as the ‘heart and soul’ of the family.” That came straight from Kate herself or her mother, and there doesn’t seem to be much evidence to back it up. Anyway, the message is less about George and more about William and Kate arguing “we would happily refuse to work for YEARS to raise our children alongside multiple nannies, how dare you question our methods!”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Kensington Palace.
