LONDON, July 22, 2026 (BSS/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, as his grandfather King 
Charles III and 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" and as he grows older, he would 
increase his public appearances.

The prince was born on July 22, 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, where 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, who called him 
"Gorgeous George".

Since then, his birthday celebrations have been kept private as well, with 
the family occasionally sharing official photographs.

"William and Catherine have done extremely well in trying to bring him up in, 
in a simple way, sort of, as normally as possible," Fitzwilliams told AFP.

In 2017, the family moved to an apartment in London's Kensington Palace, and 
George had his first day of school at a private school in south London.

They later moved to their long-term home on the Windsor estate, southwest of 
London, where George has attended the private Lambrook school since 2022, 
alongside his siblings, Charlotte, 11, and Louis, the youngest at eight.

- Football and helicopters -

He has already been part of high-profile events, appearing alongside his 
family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the Trooping of the Colour 
ceremony, and helping carry the train of his grandfather's robes during 
Charles's coronation in 2023.

Unlike Louis, who has been pictured comically pulling faces at events, George 
has appeared to be more serious and composed in public engagements.

"He was a bit shy in early years", said Fitzwilliams, pointing out he has 
been seen being "helpful to Charlotte and Louis on occasions".

"If you look at him in the formal occasions, I think you can see him assuming 
a role reasonably easily," said the royal pundit.

Beyond the royal title, William has also passed onto George his love for 
football and his team Aston Villa.

The prince often accompanies William to Villa games, and his mother to the 
Wimbledon tennis tournament.

He is also said to have an interest in helicopters and could follow in the 
steps of William, who has worked as an air ambulance pilot.

In September, George will begin boarding at Eton, but his family will be 
close by in Windsor.

"This is where he'll be, as it were, inducted into statecraft, history," said 
Fitzwilliams.

Like his father and uncle Harry, George will have security at the famous 
secondary school, which charges more than o63,000 ($85,000) in annual fees.

"Now he's a teenager, Eton beckons," said Fitzwilliams. "Eton is the big step 
towards maturity."