Kensington Palace has put Prince William Kate Parenting Strategy on display by releasing a new birthday video and a formal photograph for Prince George’s 13th birthday. The images show a more grown-up presentation for George as he moves closer to secondary school in September and to life as a boarder at Eton College.
The video shows George waving at the camera, playing cricket on the beach, and climbing rocks. Kensington Palace added the caption, “Thank you for all the birthday wishes for George today!” The photograph, released earlier on Wednesday, shows him in a suit with his hands in his pockets, wearing an open-necked white shirt and dark suit.
Kensington Palace and Matt Porteous
The picture was taken at Kensington Palace last month straight after the Trooping the Colour ceremony by Matt Porteous. Kensington Palace paired the image with the message, “Happy 13th birthday, George!” alongside a party popper emoji. The release gives George a public image that is more composed than the countryside-style birthday picture shared last year in Norfolk.
That change is the real story here. George is still a child, but the presentation is shifting toward the dress and posture that come with older public roles: suit jacket, open collar, hands in pockets, no soft-focus family framing. The birthday video keeps a lighter tone, while the still image moves the emphasis toward formality.
George, September, and Eton College
George is second in line to the throne, and the timing of the release sits alongside the next step in his schooling. He will start secondary school in September and go to Eton College, following Prince William. Eton usually begins entry at the age of 13, and George will become a boarder in one of Eton’s 25 boarding houses, each with approximately 55 pupils.
Prince George previously studied at Lambrook School in Berkshire alongside Charlotte and Louis. The move from that setting to Eton changes the daily rhythm around him: a larger school, a boarding routine, and a public image that now looks increasingly managed rather than purely family-snapshot driven. Whether the more formal birthday images are part of a deliberate change in Prince William and Kate’s approach to George’s public image is not answered, but the trend is visible in the photos already shared.
