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
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
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
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
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
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
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!
