Photo:Karwai Tang/WireImage
Karwai Tang/WireImage
Kate MiddletonandPrince Williamare not just parentingthree young children— they’re also raising the future British king,Prince George.
A year and a half after William and Kategot marriedat Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, in one the most-watched televised events in history, Buckingham Palace announced that the couple wereexpecting their first child.
News of Kate’s pregnancy broke after she was hospitalized forhyperemesis gravidarum— the same condition she would suffer while carrying her two other children,Princess CharlotteandPrince Louis.
“Amazing, amazing. It is extraordinary as I’ve said. How can the human body do that? It is utterly extraordinary actually,” she said. “And he was very sweet. And I was also sort of relieved that he was a happy, healthy boy.”
A decade after becoming parents, Prince William and Princess Kate are balancing giving their son anormal childhoodwith helping to prepare him to become king someday.
From his sweetest moments with his family to his current hobbies and interests, here is everything to know about Prince William and Kate’s first son and the future monarch, Prince George.
He was born in London on July 22, 2013
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A future monarch was born when Kategave birth to Prince Georgeon July 22, 2013, at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. He was born at 4:24 p.m. and weighed 8 lbs., 6 oz.
“Yeah, slightly terrifying, slightly terrifying, I’m not going to lie,” she said.
He is named after his great-great-grandfather
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The prince, whose full name is George Alexander Louis, is named after several members of the royal family.
His first name is that of Queen Elizabeth’s father,King George VI. The name Alexander pays tribute to the Queen — hermiddle name was Alexandra. Louis is one of Prince William’s middle names and comes from his grandfatherPrince Philip’s uncle,Lord Louis Mountbatten. Philip’s grandfather,Prince Louis of Battenberg, also shared the name.
William and Kate felt a lot ofpressure to choose a namefit for a future monarch. During a visit to the Royal Surrey County Hospital’s maternity unit in 2022, Kate connected with fellow parents and shared stories about motherhood, including how she and Prince William chose their children’s names.
“She said they were their favorite names and that, obviously, the world was waiting for them to name their children — and that felt like quite a big pressure,” Amy Stubbs, deputy director of midwifery, told PEOPLE.
He’s aware that he will one day be king
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Biographer Robert Lacey wrote inBattle of Brothers: William and Harry — the Inside Story of a Family in Tumultthat the Prince and Princess of Wales informed their eldest child “around his seventh birthday” about hisfuture role in the royal family, as they wanted to approach the matter at a “controlled moment of their choice.”
Childrenswear designerAmaia Arrieta, whose clothes George and his siblings have worn for years, recently told PEOPLE that the prince has always known he had a different role. “I think George has known almost from the beginning,” Arrieta said. “He has always had a more prominent role — there have been many events with his late great-grandmother or great-grandfather when it was just him, and his siblings weren’t there. I think they must have had that conversation very early on.”
A palace insider added: “I am sure [William and Kate] are making George aware in the best way they can. And not making it too burdensome.”
In 2016, William opened up tothe BBCabout revealing to George he will one day be king: “There’ll be a time and place. Right now, it’s just a case of keeping asecure, stable environmentaround him and showing as much love as I can.”
He attends private school with his siblings
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Prince George — who previouslystudied at Thomas’s Batterseawith Charlotte — and his siblings enrolled atLambrook Schoolin 2022, following thefamily’s moveout of Kensington Palace and into Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.
The transition marked the first time all threesiblings attended the same school. Known as one of thetop prep schools in the U.K., Lambrook achieves great academic results — it has placed graduates at prestigious secondary schools, like Prince William’s alma mater Eton College — and includes activities such as sports and drama as well as music facilities, an indoor pool, a full-size AstroTurf soccer field and a nine-hole golf course. Other offerings include horse riding, fencing, scuba diving and polo.
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Prince George — who accompanied his parents to the event — said that he had just startedlearning how to tackle, before telling his mom, “But I haven’t tackled you yet!” She replied with a laugh, “Yes, you have!”
He was close with Queen Elizabeth
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Prince George had a close relationship with his late great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, who died on Sept. 8, 2022.
The world saw thebond between Prince George and Queen Elizabethon display during several key events, including when they shared a moment on the balcony at Buckingham Palace duringthe Queen’s Platinum Jubileecelebrations.
She and George also had fun together, as seen in 2019 when they joined William and Charles at Buckingham Palace towhip up Christmas puddingsfor the “Together at Christmas” campaign — an initiative to provide extra support to the Armed Forces community around the holidays.
Kensington Palaceshared a videoof Prince George hard at work mixing the batter while the Queen stepped back to make room for her grandson.
He made history during King Charles' coronation
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Prince Georgemade historywhile serving as aPage of HonorforKing Charles' coronation ceremonyon May 6, 2023. His participation in the event marked the first time in modern royal history that a future monarch was officially involved in such a service.
King Charles was 4 duringhis mother’s coronationin 1953, making him the first child to witness their mother’s crowning ceremony. Queen Elizabeth was 11 at the coronation of her father, George VI, in 1937; perWestminster Abbey, she witnessed the action from the Royal Gallery. However, neither played an official role in the service.
He’s passionate about animal conservation
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Prince William is known for hisconservation efforts and environmental causes, and it appears Prince George is following in his father’s footsteps.
During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Georgeheld a cake saleto raise money forthe charity Tusk, an organization that works to protect endangered species in Africa, according toThe Independent.
Prince William — who has been a royal patron for Tusk since 2005 — shared his eldest son’s concern for nature when he revealed thatPrince George was deeply saddenedwhile learning about extinction.
“Having watched so manyDavid Attenboroughdocumentaries recently with my children, they absolutely love them, the most recent one — the extinction one — actually George and I had to turn it off, we got so sad about it halfway through," William toldSky Newsin 2020. “He said to me, ‘You know, I don’t want to watch this anymore.’ "
He played tennis with Roger Federer
While many young athletes dream about the chance to meet their sports idols, few get the chance to play the sport with them, as George did withRoger Federer.
While attending Wimbledon in 2019, Kate — an avid tennis fan — sat near British tennis player Katie Boulter and retired playerAnne Keothavong. Keothavong shared with the hosts of the recap showWimbledon Coffee Morningthat the royal’s eldest child was playing tennis and hadswung the racquetwith his favorite player, Federer.
TheWales family enjoys the sportand even has a tennis court at their Sandringham country estate,Anmer Hall. William also grew upwatching matchesat the famed grass courts with his mother.
He likes all things aviation
In 2021, Kate visited the Royal Air Force Brize Norton airbase to thank members of teams who had helped evacuate thousands of people from Afghanistan in recent weeks. The royal also shared that her childrenenjoy all things aviation.
“She did mention that her children are very interested in aircraft,” Loadmaster Sgt. Mark Curtis told PEOPLE.
Several royal family members have chosen careers in aviation, including George’s father and his unclePrince Harry. Prince William was an RAFsearch and rescue captain, while Prince Harry served in the British Army’s Air Corps and spent time in Afghanistanflying Apache helicopters.
He has an artistic side
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Hannah Dale, the original artist and founder of Wrendale Designs, toldHello!that she instantly recognized the artwork when it came across her social media feed.
“It’s a realprivilege to inspire any childto want to draw or paint. It was a really lovely compliment," she said. She also shared that George had “talent” and “an eye for form and color.”
source: people.com
