Happy birthday, George! UK prince becomes a teenager

Britain’s Prince George of Wales (L) and Britain’s Princess Charlotte of Wales wave as they make their way back to Buckingham Palace from the Horse Guards Parade during the King’s Birthday Parade “Trooping the Colour” in London on 13 June 2026. The UK’s Prince George, second in line to the throne, turned 13 on 22 July 2026 as he readied to follow in his father Prince William’s footsteps and start at the prestigious Eton College. Picture JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP The UK’s Prince George, second in line to the throne, turned 13 on Wednesday as he readied to follow in his father Prince William’s footsteps and start at the prestigious Eton College.

Kensington Palace shared a picture of the prince. Meanwhile, hisgrandfather King Charles IIIand his wife Queen Camilla wished him “happy birthday”. As the eldest child of the heir to the British throne, Prince William, and Princess Catherine, George is set to succeed his father as king one day.

But first, he will face another daunting challenge: the terrible teens and starting at Eton boarding school in September. According to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, the young prince was being “inducted into things very gradually”. As he grows older, he will increase his public appearances.

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The prince was born on 22 July 2013, at St Mary’s Hospital in London to a global media frenzy and public celebrations. His full name is George Alexander Louis. He was quickly whisked away on his first royal tour in April 2014, when his parents visited New Zealand and Australia.

During the tour, the eight-month-old was seen excitedly interacting with the wildlife. William, Kate and George initially lived in a rented farmhouse in rural Anglesey off the coast of northwest Wales. Shielded from cameras from an early age, the prince’s rare public appearances as a toddler were exhaustively reported in the British media.

The British media called him “Gorgeous George”. Since then, his birthday celebrations have been kept private as well, with the family occasionally sharing official photographs. “William and Catherinehave done extremely well in trying to bring him up in a simple way, sort of, as normally as possible,” Fitzwilliams told AFP.

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