Prince George celebrates 10th birthday.Photo:Karwai Tang/WireImage
Karwai Tang/WireImage
Prince Georgeis marking a milestone birthday this weekend!
Kate MiddletonandPrince William’s eldest child, who is currently second in the line of succession to the throne, will turn 10 on July 22. Royal watchers can expect a new portrait of the prince, a royal tradition that occurs every year on his birthday — however, George will likely be celebrating his birthday out of the royal spotlight.
Because Prince George’s birthday takes place duringsummer vacation from school, it’s likely that George — along with his parents and younger siblings, 8-year-oldPrincess Charlotteand 5-year-oldPrince Louis— will spend the big day on a family vacation. It wouldn’t be the first time — in 2019, Kate and William traveled with their kids to theprivate Caribbean island of Mustique for the young royal’s birthday.
Since then, several members of the royal family have retreated to the island to relax in the relative privacy it offers.William and Kate have been traveling to Mustiquefor years. They have even brought along Kate’s family, including her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and her siblings, Pippa and James.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have also headed to Jordan, where theyposed for their 2021 Christmas card photo, for a family getaway.
There’s also the possibility that they’ll stay a little closer to home with a domestic vacation. Some of their favorite spots include theIsles of Scillyand the Lake District.
“[Kate] said that her children love coming here and walking in the fells,” said Jack Mumberson after talking with Kate about the Lake District during a 2019 event. “She told us how nice the Lake District was and how lucky we were to live so close to the mountains.”
No matter where the Prince and Princess of Wales' family are, it’s likely that Prince George will enjoy cake on his birthday. Kate recently askedGreat British Baking ShowfinalistAlice Fevroniafor somebaking and decorating tips.
“The princess was actually asking a lot of baking tips like, ‘How did you get the buttercream so smooth?’ " Fevronia — who was in the 2019 series of the hit show — recentlytold PEOPLE. “She mentioned that she’d been up quite late on a couple of occasions trying to decorate the kids' birthday cakes.”
Prince George has had a fun-filled summer already. In addition to afamily outingat the Royal International Air Tattoo at Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in Gloucestershire, England on Friday, the young princewatched the men’s finalat Wimbledon for the second year in a row over the weekend. He and Princess Charlotte cheered excitedly as Carlos Alvaraz defeatedNovak Djokovic.
Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William at Wimbledon 2023.Karwai Tang/WireImage
Though the future king may seem shy compared to confident sister Princess Charlotte and carefree brother Prince Louis, a close friend tells PEOPLE exclusively, “He’s a cracking lad.”
Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince Louis and Kate Middleton in May 2023.DANIEL LEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty
While making sure that Prince George has a conventional childhood, Prince William and Princess Kate are also highly aware that they are raising a future monarch.
“It’s a massive balancing act,” one palace insider tells PEOPLE. “William and Kate are doing the right thing, protecting him so he can have as normal a childhood as possible, but he’s also dipping into duties as a future monarch. He’s getting firsthand experience of what it’s like to be a royal and a monarch and firsthand experience of being a normal boy.”
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Prince George’s royal role was made clear recently atKing Charles' coronation when he acted as one of his grandfather’sPages of Honor. George became the youngest future king to play an official role in a coronation.
“He was terrific,” says a close family friend.
source: people.com
