Full Breakdown
Prince George Celebrates 13th Birthday with New Portrait and Prepares for Eton
7/22/2026, 8:58:20 PM
Core Event: Birthday Portrait and School Transition
Kensington Palace released a new portrait of Prince George to mark his 13th birthday. The photograph shows the future monarch in a dark suit with his hands in his pockets, a relaxed smile, and an open-necked shirt, captured by photographer Matt Porteous after the Trooping the Colour ceremony. The palace accompanied the image with the caption “Happy 13th Birthday, George! ?”.
In parallel with the birthday celebrations, the prince is set to begin boarding at Eton College this September, following a year of occasional overnight stays at his current prep school, Lambrook. The move follows a family tradition: his father Prince William, his uncle Prince Harry, and his great-uncle Earl Spencer all attended Eton.
Background & Context
Prince George was born in July 2013 at St Mary’s Hospital in London, an event that attracted worldwide media attention. Since birth, he has been photographed for official portraits each year, with the 12th-birthday portrait taken in a rural setting in Norfolk. Over the past decade he has attended Thomas’s Battersea, then Lambrook School in Berkshire alongside his sister Princess Charlotte and brother Prince Louis, and has taken part in public duties such as serving as a page boy at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018 and as a Page of Honour at King Charles III’s coronation in 2023.
His mother, Catherine, Princess of Wales, announced a cancer diagnosis in 2024 and entered remission in 2025, an episode that placed the family under intense public scrutiny.
Data & Statistics
- Eton boarding fees: approximately £65,000 per year (? $86,882).
- Eton boarding houses: 25 houses, each housing about 55 pupils under the supervision of a house master.
- Age of entry: students typically begin at age 13, the same age George has just turned.
Official Statements & Responses
Kensington Palace’s social-media posts celebrated the birthday with the messages noted above and shared a video of George playing on a beach. The palace also highlighted his recent appearance at the men’s singles final of Wimbledon on July 12, 2026, where he attended with his parents and sister.
Prince William referenced his son’s new boarding routine during an interview on *Heart Breakfast*, confirming that George had started staying overnight at Lambrook as part of his preparation for Eton.
Verbatim Quotes
- “George walks in from a settled home. Two parents, together, who built him a base and guard it fiercely,” — Robert Jobson
What’s Next
George will travel to Eton College in September, joining the school’s boarding program. The transition marks his entry into secondary education and the first major step toward the responsibilities associated with his position as second in line to the British throne.
