by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Prince George Alexander Louis of Wales is the eldest of the three children of Prince William, The Prince of Wales and the former Catherine Middleton. He was born at 4:24 pm on July 22, 2013, at the Lindo Wing, St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London. He is second in line to the British throne, behind his father, The Prince of Wales.

Prince George has two younger siblings:

• Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Wales (born May 2, 2015)
• Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Wales (born April 23, 2018)

His birth was announced at 8:29 pm via a press release from Clarence House. Following tradition, a formal written announcement was placed on an easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.

The following afternoon, the young Prince made his first public appearance. After visits from the grandparents, William and Catherine emerged from the doors of the Lindo Wing with their son, to introduce him to the crowds of media and admirers who were gathered. Soon after, they drove off to their home at Kensington Palace. On July 24th, the prince’s names were announced – George Alexander Louis.

Prince George’s christening took place on October 23, 2013, in the Chapel Royal at St James’ Palace in London, England. Officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the christening was private, with just immediate family in attendance. His godparents were:

• Oliver Baker (a schoolmate of his parents at The University of St Andrews)
• Emilia d’Erlanger Jardine-Paterson (a schoolmate of his mother at Marlborough College)
• Hugh Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor (friend of his father)
• Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton (private secretary to his parents)
• Julia Samuel (a close friend of his late grandmother Diana, Princess of Wales)
• William van Cutsem (a friend of his father)
• Zara Phillips Tindall (paternal first cousin of his father)

Following the christening, a reception was held at Clarence House where formal photographs were taken. This would be the first time since 1894 that four direct generations of sovereigns were photographed together.

Prince George’s first big public appearance came when he joined his parents on a three-week trip to New Zealand and Australia in April 2014. At an event held at Government House, in Wellington New Zealand, the young prince and his parents enjoyed a play date with other children and their parents.

 

January 6, 2016 was Prince George’s first day of school. He attended the Westacre Montessori Nursery School in the village of East Walton in Norfolk near his home Amner Hall.  He was dropped off at school by his parents and spent a few hours there.  In September 2017, Prince George began attending Thomas’s Battersea School on Battersea High Street in London under the name George Cambridge.

On April 22, 2016, Prince George met Barack Obama, President of the United States at Kensington Palace. The encounter later prompted Obama to joke that “Prince George showed up to our meeting in his bathrobe… a clear breach of protocol.”

 

Prince George and Princess Charlotte accompanied their parents on a tour of Canada in September 2016.

On May 20, 2017, Prince George was a page at the wedding of his aunt Pippa Middleton and James Matthews.

 

In 2018, Prince George was a page boy in two royal weddings – the wedding of his uncle Prince Harry to Meghan Markle and the wedding of his first cousin once removed Princess Eugenie of York to Jack Brooksbank.

George occasionally accompanies his parents on royal tours and engagements. On June 2, 2022, during his great-grandmother’s Platinum Jubilee celebration weekend, George and his siblings made their debut in the Trooping the Colour carriage procession. All three children then joined their parents, Queen Elizabeth II, and other working royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

William and Catherine with their children on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022

In the summer of 2022, George and his family moved to Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom house on the grounds of Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England. The move was made to give George and his siblings a more normal family life. In the fall of 2022, George and his siblings began attending Lambrook School, a prestigious fee-paying school in Winkfield, near Windsor. The school is described on its website as a “leading coeducational Prep School for 615 boys and girls aged 3 and 13, set in 52 acres of beautiful Berkshire countryside.” Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are not the first royals to attend Lambrook School. Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein and his brother Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstein, grandsons of Queen Victoria and sons of Princess Helena and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, also attended Lambrook School.

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Updated 7/21/2024