‘Happy 13th Birthday, George!’ Kate and William mark young royal becoming a teenager with new portrait taken at Trooping the Colour as Prince prepares for life at Eton

Prince George celebrated coming of age with a new official portrait.

The rapidly growing future King Henry VII. This photo, which shows George wearing a suit after Connecting the Colors last month, was shared by his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, on their social media accounts for the ’13th anniversary’. Happy birthday, George!’ It was published with the message.

The photo was taken at Kensington Palace by Matt Porteous, one of the couple’s favorite and most trusted photographers, and marks a significant new phase in the young royal’s life.

He will be a boarder at Eton College in September, which will be the beginning of his high school experience.

He’s set to follow in the footsteps of his father, Prince William, having met some of his best friends at school.

George will go to school without his two siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, for the first time since 2019.

At the same time, William and Catherine continue to guide their eldest son on a controlled path to public life, with George taking on a small but increasing number of official duties each year.

He was last seen with his family at Wimbledon earlier this month but is unlikely to be seen in public again until he starts school in the autumn.

Fans couldn’t believe what adult George looked like today, seen here in his first birthday portrait

The eldest of the children in Wales, George, who has younger siblings Charlotte, 11, and Louis, 8, was first introduced to the world when he stepped out in the arms of his parents from the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in London.

Wearing a summery powder blue dress, Catherine was glowing as she and William introduced their first child, George Alexander Louis, to the world.

Royal fans couldn’t believe how “grown up” George looked in his latest birthday photo, with user X writing: “What do you mean he’s officially a teenager?!”

One person added: ‘Finally a teenager! We wish Prince George a very happy 13th Birthday! I hope there was [sic] A wonderful day surrounded by his amazing family and friends xx’

Fans echoed the sentiment after George joined the Royal Family to celebrate his grandfather on King Charles’ official birthday at Trooping the Colour last month.

George is “growing up so fast,” they gushed as he looked poised and confident as he waved to the crowd during the car ride to Buckingham Palace with his mother, sister Charlotte and younger brother Louis.

Royal watchers were also impressed by George’s impressive height, as he accompanied Catherine to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire last month.

A video shared by Kensington Palace shows the royal mother and her son inspecting the planes on site; The young prince currently stands slightly below his mother, who is 1.90 cm tall.

Fans were convinced George would ‘jump Kate by Christmas’ when he attended the Royal Family’s traditional Easter service in April, as the future heiress already stands well over her 6ft 6in father’s shoulders.

“I still can’t get over how tall Prince George has gotten and he’s only 12,” one social media user wrote at the time.

Another gushed: ‘Time is slowing down. You can see how tall Prince George is here, especially when Catherine wears heels.’

Prince George was photographed by Josh Shinner in Norfolk in April for his birthday portrait last year.

In 2024, Kensington Palace shared a stunning black and white photo to celebrate George’s 11th birthday

Prince George laughs as he dons a sun hat and sunglasses to enjoy the Wimbledon men’s final earlier this month

The Prince of Wales cools down with a hand-held fan in the Royal Lodge with Prince George

Ahead of his 13th birthday, royal expert Robert Jobson told the Daily Mail that Prince George’s time at Eton would be worlds away from his father’s experiences due to his ‘settled’ life at home.

‘Difference is everything,’ Mr Jobson said. ‘William entered Eton [at the age of 14] He carries his parents’ marital war. ‘George walks into an established house.’

Mr Jobson said the future King and Queen had gone above and beyond to support their eldest son as George prepared for a new academic term.

‘He asked them if he could come on board at Lambrook every week. They accepted. This helped him grow and become part of a collective,’ the expert said.

‘He is smart. He loves history. His father said so clearly, standing in front of Henry VIII’s armor last October. “My son George is much better at history than I am, and now I have to consult him about my appointments.”

‘He plays football and hockey. Hockey is his mother’s game. He supports Aston Villa like his father. I’m happy to cheer in public and punch the air.

Prince George’s tenth birthday portrait wasn’t taken by Kate, as is often the case; instead the Welsh chose to use a photo from Millie Pilkington.

Prince George flashes a wide smile in his ninth birthday portrait

‘He couldn’t escape the pain. He watched his mother fight and beat cancer. He watched his grandfather live with him. It turned out to be more stable.

‘Eton will be challenging but being close to home, in the shadow of Windsor Castle, will help.

‘When she steps out in her faux-collared frock, she’ll look like a picture.

‘But the environment will protect him, as did his father, who was successful there.

‘Then from time to time. We hope it’s mostly for George’s sake.’

George’s birthday comes after his last public trip to the Wimbledon finals with his parents and sister Charlotte.

As the temperature soared to 29°C in London on the final day of the championships, the brothers won the hearts of royal fans by rushing out of the Royal Box in Center Court to collect their sun hats.

Photos showed George using a handheld fan as he watched Jannik Sinner defeat Alexander Zverev in the final match of the tournament.

The Princess of Wales spotted her eldest son in Norfolk just weeks before his eighth birthday

Prince George was also photographed by his mother Kate on his seventh birthday; He looked stylish with his khaki polo collar

Little lion! Prince George captured by Kate in an England football jersey to celebrate his sixth birthday in 2019

George looked adorable in his fifth birthday portrait, also taken by Matt Porteous in the gardens of Clarence House.

Prince George’s fourth birthday portrait smiling at the camera was taken by Chris Jackson

Prince George’s third birthday portrait taken by Matt Porteous at the Wales family’s home in Norfolk

After settling in, it became clear that the scorching heat was affecting the young royal family; George was photographed using a white portable fan similar to the one his mother used in the women’s final the day before.

The young prince looked rosy-cheeked as he kept himself cool and hydrated in the incredibly hot weather.

It was a fun-filled day for George and Charlotte, who were seen laughing and chatting to each other while wearing hats and sunglasses; Wales’ youngest child, Louis, who turned eight earlier this year, was conspicuously absent.

Prince George’s 12th birthday portrait was taken in Norfolk by royal photographer Josh Shinner.

In the picture, George, wearing a white checkered shirt with a khaki vest, is leaning over a wooden door and smiling at the camera.

A year ago, Kensington Palace shared a black and white photo of George looking dapper in a suit when he turned 11.