Prince George , the oldest son of Prince William and Princess Kate who is going to be the next (next) king of England, celebrated his 11th birthday.
"We wish Prince George a very happy birthday," his parents wrote alongside a new photo of the prince taken by his mother, and published in black and white.
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Prince George's 11th birthday portrait, taken by his mother, in black and white
(Photo: Instagram)
However, the last year was not an easy one for the little prince, who had to deal with his mother Kate's cancer and also with the cancer that attacked his grandfather, King Charles III. And all this even before the loss of England's national team in the final of the Euro games held earlier this month.
"It was obviously a big shock," Princess Kate said last March when she appeared in front of the cameras and revealed that she had been diagnosed with cancer. "William and I have done everything we can to process and manage this privately for our family. As you can imagine, it took me a while to recover from major surgery to start my treatment, but most importantly it took us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that would be appropriate them and still reassure them that I will be fine."
Even before that, in September 2022, George lost his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and took an active part in all her funeral events, that lasted for 10 days.
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Prince George and his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth
(Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
And there's more: In recent years Prince George witnessed the long conflict that continues to intensify to this day between his parents and his uncle, Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan Markle .
George is exposed to headlines, newspapers and of course all the rumors, and is well aware of the accusations of his uncle and aunt from America - who make sure to voice their claims over and over again to any media outlet that is interested.
It should be noted that, before the conflict, Harry was very close to George and rumor has it that he was a full-time uncle and spent a lot of time with his baby nephew.
George also recently marked a significant achievement that every child of his age can only dream of – when he arrived together with his father and sister Princess Charlotte to a Taylor Swift concert and got to go backstage and take a picture with the megastar. And not only that - Swift herself shared the photo on social media.
Despite the family struggles, Prince George continues to be the star of and stand out at all the public events he participates in, and his behavior continues to prove that he is working hard and preparing well for his future responsibilities as king. Although he is only 11 years old, he is already undergoing training and preparations for being the King of England. Today, as mentioned, he is second in line to the throne.
Debbie Frank, confidante of the late Princess Diana and a well-known astrologer, told a little about George's outstanding qualities, which will help him in his future role as king. "George is a Cancer, which means he is very sensitive and equally responsible," she said. "He does seem a little shy, but his late grandmother Diana and his uncle Harry were also shy in their youth – yet both blossomed into their royal roles." The astrologer continued to analyze George and said that although the young prince has a clear affinity for his father, he still seeks the closeness of his mother.
To the question of how George would be as king, she answered: "George will act mainly from the heart and not from the head. He will rely on his gut feelings and not on logic."
According to the book "Battle of Brothers" by royal author Robert Lacey , Prince George found out that he was going to be the next king of England only when he reached the age of 7. "William never revealed how and when he announced the great news to his son, but it happened When he turned seven, in the summer of 2020."
Despite the fact that one day he will become king, George does not receive special treatment at school and, in fact, those in the know say that he behaves like any other child his age, and gets along great with the rest of his classmates.
"At school he's just George, not the prince," clarified Anna Barry , a reporter for Express news. "George enjoys going to school and his charming personality is well received by the other children. He does not receive special treatment, is not called by his royal title and does not receive extra attention because of who he is," she said.
Barry added that sources from the school say that "George doesn't make a big deal out of his royal status," and said that "George's parents also behave in a friendly and pleasant manner when they arrive at school and make sure to talk to the other parents."
"I'm sure William and Kate are making George understand his future role as best they can and not making it too burdensome for him," a palace source told People magazine, adding: "William is talking to Prince George about what it means to be a son of the monarchy. He does this in a gentle and simple way so as not to create pressure on George from such a young age."
Another source, interviewed by Us Weekly magazine, said that William makes sure to teach George about the monarchy with the help of drawings, children's books and a variety of metaphors to help him understand how this matter works in the easiest way. "William explains to George about the monarchy in a very fun way, and George definitely enjoys it."
And we'll end with a bit of lightness, after all - this is an 11-year-old boy. George's favorite food is spaghetti carbonara, he really likes to ride horses, he's an excellent dancer and loves to dance, and his favorite TV show is "Fireman Sam," which even dedicated an episode to him.
Long live the next (next) King of England!