HIGH FIVE!
By George, he is a big boy
Prince George’s big- boy milestone
How time flies! It’s been almost five years since Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, went into labour with her and Prince William’s first child, and the world held its breath waiting for the arrival of the next heir to the throne.
That much-anticipated baby, Prince George, will celebrate his milestone fifth birthday next week. His parents have stuck to their vow to keep George and his siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis out of the limelight, to give them as normal an upbringing despite their privileged position.
So like other youngsters of his age, George’s days are filled with school, spending time with his family and playing, with the occasional trip to a state event or royal engagement.
Here’s what we know about the birthday boy.
HE’S A BOISTEROUS BOY George is a “little monkey” who loves to “charge around the house”, says his dad William (36). His boundless energy was one of the reasons he didn’t go with his parents on an official visit to India and Bhutan two years ago, according to his mum. “He would be running all over the place,” Kate said at the time.
Both his mum and dad have described their eldest child as noisy, and say he’s happiest when enjoying a spot of rough and tumble with other youngsters. He gets on well with the children of his dad’s cousins Zara
Tindall and Peter Phillips. Zara’s husband Mike described George’s first meeting with his daughter
Mia (4) as “carnage”.
The young prince also loves to run about with Peter’s daughters Savannah (7) and Isla (6). They’re often seen playing games and rolling around on the grass at polo matches. Cheeky Savannah recently covered George’s
BUT HE ALSO HAS
HIS SENSITIVE SIDE
In public, George is often shy, especially compared with his younger sister Charlotte, who is already very outgoing at three. When he and Charlotte arrived at St Mary’s Hospital to see their new brother Louis for the first time in April, it was Charlotte who waved confidently to the crowds gathered outside,
while George appeared to be a little overwhelmed.
It was a similar situation at the wedding of his uncle Prince Harry to Meghan Markle the following month. George had appeared confident in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle during the service, but once outside, he became timid and hid behind his dad, while Charlotte smiled and waved.
And another wedding ended in tears for George. He was a page boy when his aunt Pippa Middleton married James Matthews last year, and after standing on the bride’s train, he got a stern telling off from his mum and burst into tears. It was later revealed that George probably felt hard done by as his little sister also trod on the dress, but got off scot-free.
HE’S ALREADY
LEARNING TO COOK
As part of having a normal childhood, Kate (36) likes to involve the children in activities like gardening, cooking and baking, rather than just having food turn up on the table. She’s had George and Charlotte help her make pizza dough, which went down a treat, she told parents on a visit to a community centre, adding, “They love it because they can get their hands messy.”
On another visit, she talked about how her eldest son is good at making a mess when they bake. Observing teens making chocolate crispy cakes, she said, “When I try to do this with George at home, the chocolate and golden syrup goes everywhere. It’s chaos.”
IF HE WASN’T GOING TO BE KING, HE MAY HAVE JOINED THE POLICE George loves anything to do with the police, according to his dad. “He’s obsessed actually… cars, toys, everything,” William said during an event to honour Metropolitan Police officers.
The youngster even asked for a police car for Christmas last year, as seen in a sweet letter William handed over to Santa Claus in Denmark last year. On it, George had circled that he’d been nice, rather than naughty, and despite having plenty of room to list lots of presents, all he asked for was a police car.
HE’S A CLEVER COOKIE Apparently, George is a smart
wee youngster. He started talking well before most of his peers and has a good command of language, according to actress Sophie Winkleman, who is married to Prince Michael of Kent’s son Lord Frederick Windsor.
Sophie took her daughter Maud, who goes to George’s school Thomas’s, for a playdate at Kensington Palace and reported afterwards, “He is a very clever, articulate little boy and was speaking long before other toddlers his age.”
He’s also learning to speak another language. His Spanish nanny Maria Teresa Borrallo has been teaching him her native tongue and he can count to 10. It’s expected that George and his siblings will have to learn several languages when they get older, so he is getting a head start. George is also just starting to read and his list of favourite books includes the children’s classic The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson.
HE LIKES ALL THE SAME STUFF AS OTHER FOURYEAR-OLDS
He may be destined to be king, but George is just like other boys his age. He’s a huge fan of dinosaurs – the T-Rex is his favourite because it’s the “noisiest and scariest”, says Kate – and is also fascinated by volcanoes, which he has studied at school. At a charity polo match last month, he was spotted carrying a very detailed picture he’d drawn of an exploding volcano.
He loves whizzing around the grounds of Kensington Palace on his scooter and bike, and like his granddad Prince Charles, is happy being outside in nature.
His favourite TV programme is Fireman Sam and his film-mad dad has been encouraging his interest in movies.
“Paddington is definitely up there, and so is Coco,” William said at a post-BAFTAS event earlier this year. “He quite likes The Lion King. We’ve watched that a few times.”
When he’s at the family’s country home, Anmer Hall, George enjoys outings to Snettisham Farm Park, where he can pet and feed animals.
His grandparents Carole and Michael Middleton also often take him to Bucklebury Farm Park when he visits them in Berkshire.
George is a happy boy, says his father. “There’ll be a time and a place to bring George up and understand how he fits in, in the world,” William says.
Meanwhile, “we are very normal”.