Prince George, the eldest son of Prince William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, celebrates his tenth birthday on July 22, marking a decade in the royal spotlight, from his first public appearance on the steps of St Mary’s Hospital with his proud parents in 2013, to his recent appearance at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London this month.
Over the past 12 months, George has seen the course of his public and private life evolve as he rose to an additional level of prominence within the monarchy, becoming second in line to the throne in September 2022, following the death of his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Along with his siblings Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, George has made more public appearances this year, becoming a favorite fixture on the Buckingham Palace balcony and at major events.
Here, news week See Prince George’s year in photos, from his first day at a new school to his recent round of summer royal engagements.
New school
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On 7 September 2022, Prince George and his siblings kicked off a new phase in their education by attending a welcome afternoon at Lambrook School, the institution of choice for William and Kate for their young family when they moved from Kensington Palace to a country house on the Windsor Castle estate.
The boys’ official start to school the next day was marred by the news that their great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, had died at the age of 96 at her home at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. While Prince William flew to Scotland to be with the late Queen and the new King Charles III, Kate stayed behind in Windsor to pick up her children from school.
Queen Elizabeth II Funeral
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Although Prince Louis was deemed too young to attend the late Queen’s official state funeral and betrothal service at Westminster Abbey and St George’s Chapel, Windsor, Prince George and Princess Charlotte were included by their parents in the events.
George and Charlotte joined the senior royals as they marked the queen’s death as she was buried alongside her husband Prince Philip, who died just a year earlier in 2021.
The young royals were praised for their conduct during the events as news cameras captured their solemn displays of respect to the late monarch, bowing and curtsying as her coffin passed through London.
Christmas in Sandringham
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For the first Christmas of the new reign, King Charles III stuck to royal tradition by spending Christmas with his family at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England. The estate is where William and Kate have their country home, Anmer Hall, which had been a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II, and where they spend much of their free time.
For the first time since the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020, members of the royal family who were invited to Sandringham for Christmas made the traditional visit to St. Mary Magdalene Church. Afterwards, George, Charlotte, and Louis joined their parents as they met members of the crowd who had come to watch the event.
Easter at Windsor Castle
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Another royal church service attended by Prince George and his siblings took place at Windsor Castle on April 9. There, the royals celebrated Easter Sunday with King Carlos and Queen Camilla, who also celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary.
That day, George shook hands with the Dean of Windsor after the service and walked with his father and Prince Louis back to the private apartments of the castle from St George’s Chapel.
Coronation of King Carlos III
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As second in line to the throne and eldest grandson of King Charles III, Prince George was given a special leading role at his grandfather’s coronation service on May 6 at Westminster Abbey.
Before the service, Buckingham Palace announced that George had been named one of Charles’ “Pages of Honour” along with a group of children of a similar age socially connected to the monarch.
On the day of the historic event, George processioned with the king through the abbey, holding his royal robes and assisting throughout the service. Later, the prince met his parents on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a celebratory Royal Air Force flight.
coronation concert
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The day after the coronation service, George joined the King and Queen with their parents and other members of the royal family for the coronation concert in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Joined by 2,000 guests on the castle’s east lawn and millions of viewers in Britain and around the Commonwealth, George watched stars including Lionel Richie and Katy Perry perform their hits to celebrate the reign of the new king.
tropping the color
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After the coronation, the next large-scale royal event to take place was Trooping the Colour, the annual celebratory events organized to mark the monarch’s official birthday in Britain.
Unlike the coronation, George did not play a special ceremonial role, but instead participated in the events as a spectator alongside his brothers, proceeding to Horse Guards Parade for the military show in a carriage with his mother and Queen Camilla.
Cricket with Prince William
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Prince George enjoyed an unannounced day out with his father, Prince William, on July 1 as the royal couple watched an Ashes test cricket match between Australia and England at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.
During the game, George was photographed holding the famous Ashes cup and was also introduced to several high-profile figures, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Family Day at the Air Show
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On July 14, the Prince and Princess of Wales took their three children to the Air Tattoo, the world’s largest military airshow, in Gloucestershire, England.
During the event, George, Charlotte and Louis were photographed meeting officials and given a tour of the military plane that was tasked with transporting the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II of Scotland to London in September 2022.
Wimbledon winners
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George and his sister Charlotte were two of the stars of the show at the recent Wimbledon tennis championships men’s singles final on July 16, joining their parents and Spain’s King Felipe to watch rising star Carlos Alcaraz defeat seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.
George made his Wimbledon debut in 2022 and was joined for the first time this year by his younger sister. The brothers were seen animatedly following the game and were formally introduced to the championship organizers and famous ball boys and girls during the day’s events.
James Crawford-Smith is news week London-based royal reporter. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read their stories in news week The Royals Facebook page.
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