Prince George’s Birthday Portrait Has Us All Tearing Up

Time flies when you’re watching the royals, and especially the royal children. It seems like only yesterday Prince George — the eldest son of William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales — made his debut in front of the doors of St. Mary’s Hospital. But it turns out that was exactly 11 years ago today, July 22. Yes, the second in line for the throne is a tween now, and his parents acknowledged the milestone with an annual birthday portrait, as is the tradition for all of Will and Kate’s children.

“Wishing Prince George a very happy 11th birthday today!” the couple posted on their official social media accounts on Instagram and X along with a black-and-white photo of the young monarch-to-be taken by his mother earlier this month.

The comments were full of well-wishers gushing over the young royal.

“This picture is so beautiful, he is growing up so fast ! I wish the happiest birthday to Prince George, have the best day!” wrote one fan.

“Omg! How did he grow so much?? He’s such a gentleman!!” agreed another.

One follower joked, “Now he can Go to Hogwarts!”

Over the years, the young prince (whose family nicknames include “Tips” and “Wombat,” which we are extremely here for) has transformed before our eyes. Let’s take a wee trip down memory lane, because what else are royal birthdays for?

George began life at the same London hospital where his father was born. His introduction to the world intentionally harkened to his father’s presentation to the public in 1982, with his mother in a blue dress not unlike the one worn by his royal grandmother, Princess Diana. (I know it’s black and white here, but I promise it’s a robin’s egg blue.)

Before long, he was a fancy little boy toddling along in knee-high socks and Mary Janes like a modern-day Christopher Robin.

From an early age, he was greeting heads of state. In 2016, for example, he met the Obamas in his bathrobe like a wee, wholesome Hugh Hefner. I like to imagine he threw some good-natured sass at the then-president and first lady.

“Oh. So these are the ungrateful colonials who rejected my kingly namesake. How quaint.”

In 2018, George served as a pageboy at his uncle Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle. While his family’s relationship with his uncle and aunt has famously soured since then, the wedding did mark a milestone for the young prince: the first time he was allowed to wear long pants in public. (It’s one of those unofficial rules in the royal family that I, as a peasant, don’t really understand.)

By 2021, he was perfecting the art of being a distinguished little gentleman...

... but he hasn’t lost his sense of sass that we’ve come to treasure, as we can see from this picture from Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee.

And so, happy birthday, Prince George.

We hope 11 is amazing.