Prince George Turns 13 as William and Kate Quietly Rewrite the Royal Parenting Rulebook After Past Mistakes
Today Prince George of Wales is celebrating his 13th birthday, entering the teenage years and marking a major milestone as he edges closer towards his destiny as king.
On the cusp of starting high school at Eton College, Prince George is beginning this new era with caution; his parents keen not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
We can expect William and Kate to release another relaxed portrait like this one for their son’s 13th birthday. Josh Shinner, The Prince and Princess of Wales
It was in 2013 when the world’s media was glued to the doors of the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in upmarket London awaiting news of the baby’s birth as his mother Catherine, then Duchess of Cambridge, was in labour.
His proud mum and dad soon emerged on the steps of the famous hospital with their newborn son wrapped in a blanket where Prince William declared the baby had “a good pair of lungs on him, that’s for sure”.
His full name, George Alexander Louis, was announced two days later − much quicker than previous royal births. It took seven days before the name of a newborn Prince William was announced in 1982 and a month passed following Prince Charles’s birth in 1948 before his name was revealed.
Prince William and Catherine drove their baby son home to Kensington Palace, their first home as a family of three. Soon after though, they moved to Anglesey, in Wales, where William was working as an RAF search and rescue pilot.
Nearly a month after the birth, the first official photo of the little prince was shared with the world.
Taken by Catherine’s father, Michael Middleton, in the garden of their family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, the photo showed William and his wife holding Prince George, with their dog Lupo, sitting together on a picnic rug in the garden.
It was informal and relaxed and most interestingly, completely normal. It was a photo any of us might have in our own albums. Tellingly, it lacked the formality of royal baby first photos to come before, signalling the way Prince William and Catherine would raise their son.
The then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge introduced their baby son to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing hours after his birth on July 22, 2013. PA/AAP
Normality has been a key theme of Prince George’s childhood despite the privilege, and the pomp and ceremony, that comes with being born the great-grandson of a monarch and now the grandson of a king.
Bucking parenting expectations
Prince William and Catherine have always put family first, something they have been criticised for in the past. The late Queen Elizabeth II had nannies raise her children as duty to the nation and Commonwealth called, but from day one the Wales’ wanted to break the mould when it came to parenting their own royal children.
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The future king and queen do the school run, they attend parents-and-teacher meetings, they are part of school WhatsApp groups and are familiar faces at extra-curricular activities and weekend sporting meets.
From Prince George’s years at Thomas’s Battersea in London and then at Lambrook near Windsor, the Wales’ have made it their mission to raise their three children in an environment that would appear familiar to other, non-royal families.
But Prince George, along with Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, are far from normal.
In September 2022, George moved up the line of succession to spot number two when his grandfather became king. Since then, George’s public role has increased steadily as his parents, and courtiers, ensure he is prepared for his future role as head of state.
The first official photo of Prince George was taken by Catherine’s father Michael in the gardens of the Middleton family home in Bucklebury and shared in August, weeks after his birth in 2013. AP
For a boy who has spent his entire childhood in the spotlight from the moment he was born, Prince George is no doubt becoming accustomed to the intense interest his movements bring.
A King in training for years
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From his first official engagement at a playgroup while on a tour of New Zealand and Australia at just eight months old, to his yearly appearances at Trooping the Colour on the Buckingham Palace balcony, Prince George has been ‘on duty’ − a king in training − for years.
With his father leading by example, George has been given a first-hand experience of what it is like to be a working royal, from attending Christmas Day at Sandringham to his mother’s Christmas carols concerts at Westminster Abbey.
On VE Day in 2025, Prince George carried out his most significant royal engagement to date by joining his parents for a morning tea at Buckingham Palace, in honour of war veterans. Getty
But it was in 2025 that George carried out his most significant official royal engagement to date, attending a morning tea inside the palace for veterans and their families on VE Day. His inclusion was a significant learning moment for the prince, not only as eventual king but as future head of the Armed Forces.
He was overheard speaking to veterans and their families with ease. Gone was the shyness that had become part of his public persona.
With years of walkabouts, handshakes and endless small talk with strangers ahead of him, George will soon experience a rite of passage all young adults face, regardless of their status: high school. And this new era for Prince George will come with its own set of challenges.
The Princess of Wales has been determined to give her three children a normal upbringing as possible, inspired by her own childhood. Instagram/@princeandprincessofwales
How George will be protected at school
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Prince George will be the first British heir to the throne to navigate his teenage years in the era of smartphones, social media and AI. Other heirs from nearby European monarchies have already dealt with this − Denmark, Norway, Spain and the Netherlands − mostly with little scandal.
Eton does not allow smartphones for students in George’s year group, only the so-called brick phones, but that rule does not stretch to members of the public who frequent the small, but touristy, town of Eton where the school is.
While George will be physically protected by a small team of police officers on campus, his privacy could be harder to guard in this modern, digital age thanks to the prevalence of camera phones and citizen journalism.
Prince George’s public role has steadily increased recently as he prepares for his eventual role as king and head of state. Getty Images
His movements could be made public within seconds on social media, something William and Catherine, and his uncle Prince Harry, never had to deal with when they were in high school.
When Prince William and Prince Harry were students, an agreement between the British media and the palace saw the boys largely left alone. A similar arrangement is in place with the Wales children but has not stopped some paparazzi from trying their best to get an exclusive, with photos of George and his family, taken during private outings over the years, sold to overseas publications.
Prince William, and Catherine, of course, are well-prepared for this new era of social media and the challenges that come with it and will have arrangements in place to protect their son. They will continue to choose their friends wisely, favouring those who are loyal and discreet.
Behind the royal lens: Photographing Catherine, the Princess of Wales
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While William’s childhood was not splashed across social media, he did grow up on the cover of newspapers and tabloids, fully aware of the perils − and endless fascination − that come with being a royal high on the pecking order.
Because of this, he and Catherine have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure their own children have as normal childhoods as possible, learning from mistakes made in the past.
While the late Diana, Princess of Wales, strived for a normal upbringing for William and Harry, the situation was far from perfect. William and Harry’s first days at Eton saw the event turned into a media spectacle with dozens of cameras capturing the milestone.
George’s first day will be drastically different come September, and it is likely to reflect his first day at Thomas’s when just one camera and one videographer were present.
William and Harry’s childhoods also had the trauma of their parents’ very public divorce, soon followed by the tragic death of their mother. Eton was a safe haven for William, but Harry’s experience of the school was very different.
In the 13 years since their son’s birth, William and Catherine have been re-writing the parenting playbook and doing things their own way, mixing modernity and tradition to ensure George grows up with the right blend of duty and normalcy.
Prince George has been “on duty” for years as he learns the ropes from his father Prince William and grandfather, King Charles. Getty
Each year there is an official photo, either taken by Catherine or a photographer close to the family. This year it is no different.
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But for Prince George his life will soon look very different as he moves from boy to teenager, bringing with it more responsibilities and sacrifice.
It’s a milestone for every child and today, Prince George has the entire world celebrating with him.
