Prince George: All About Kate Middleton and Prince William's Son (and Future King!)

The Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed their first child in 2013, and Prince George is currently second in line to the throne

Kate Middleton and Prince William are not just parenting three young children — they’re also raising the future British king, Prince George.

A year and a half after William and Kate got married at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, in one the most-watched televised events in history, Buckingham Palace announced that the couple were expecting their first child.

News of Kate’s pregnancy broke after she was hospitalized for hyperemesis gravidarum — the same condition she would suffer while carrying her two other children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Seven months after announcing her pregnancy, Kate gave birth to a son, Prince George, on July 22, 2013. In an appearance on the podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby, hosted by best-selling author Giovanna Fletcher, the royal recalled the moment she held her firstborn in her arms.

“Amazing, amazing. It is extraordinary as I’ve said. How can the human body do that? It is utterly extraordinary actually,” she said. “And he was very sweet. And I was also sort of relieved that he was a happy, healthy boy.”

Related: Prince George Gets an Early Birthday Present — a Trip to the Royal Box at Wimbledon!

At Prince George’s birth, he was third in line to the British throne — while Queen Elizabeth ruled, he followed his grandfather King Charles and his father Prince William. Following his great-grandmother’s death in 2022, George became second in the line of succession.

A decade after becoming parents, Prince William and Princess Kate are balancing giving their son a normal childhood with helping to prepare him to become king someday.

From his sweetest moments with his family to his current hobbies and interests, here is everything to know about Prince William and Kate’s first son and the future monarch, Prince George.

He was born in London on July 22, 2013

A future monarch was born when Kate gave birth to Prince George on July 22, 2013, at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. He was born at 4:24 p.m. and weighed 8 lbs., 6 oz.

The next day, William and Kate joined the public in celebration, stepping out of St. Mary’s Lindo Wing to introduce their newborn to the world. Kate recalled that experience during her appearance on Happy Mum, Happy Baby.

“Yeah, slightly terrifying, slightly terrifying, I’m not going to lie,” she said.

“Everyone had been so supportive,” the royal added, noting that they understood the importance of sharing their joy with the public. “But equally it was coupled with a newborn baby, and inexperienced parents, and the uncertainty of what that held, so there were all sorts of mixed emotions.”

He is named after his great-great-grandfather

The prince, whose full name is George Alexander Louis, is named after several members of the royal family.

His first name is that of Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI. The name Alexander pays tribute to the Queen — her middle name was Alexandra. Louis is one of Prince William’s middle names and comes from his grandfather Prince Philip’s uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten. Philip’s grandfather, Prince Louis of Battenberg, also shared the name.

William and Kate felt a lot of pressure to choose a name fit for a future monarch. During a visit to the Royal Surrey County Hospital’s maternity unit in 2022, Kate connected with fellow parents and shared stories about motherhood, including how she and Prince William chose their children’s names.

"She said they were their favorite names and that, obviously, the world was waiting for them to name their children — and that felt like quite a big pressure," Amy Stubbs, deputy director of midwifery, told PEOPLE.

He’s aware that he will one day be king

Biographer Robert Lacey wrote in Battle of Brothers: William and Harry — the Inside Story of a Family in Tumult that the Prince and Princess of Wales informed their eldest child “around his seventh birthday” about his future role in the royal family, as they wanted to approach the matter at a “controlled moment of their choice.”

Childrenswear designer Amaia Arrieta, whose clothes George and his siblings have worn for years, recently told PEOPLE that the prince has always known he had a different role. "I think George has known almost from the beginning,” Arrieta said. “He has always had a more prominent role — there have been many events with his late great-grandmother or great-grandfather when it was just him, and his siblings weren't there. I think they must have had that conversation very early on."

A palace insider added: "I am sure [William and Kate] are making George aware in the best way they can. And not making it too burdensome."

In 2016, William opened up to the BBC about revealing to George he will one day be king: "There'll be a time and place. Right now, it’s just a case of keeping a secure, stable environment around him and showing as much love as I can."

He attends private school with his siblings

Prince George — who previously studied at Thomas’s Battersea with Charlotte — and his siblings enrolled at Lambrook School in 2022, following the family’s move out of Kensington Palace and into Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

The transition marked the first time all three siblings attended the same school. Known as one of the top prep schools in the U.K., Lambrook achieves great academic results — it has placed graduates at prestigious secondary schools, like Prince William’s alma mater Eton College — and includes activities such as sports and drama as well as music facilities, an indoor pool, a full-size AstroTurf soccer field and a nine-hole golf course. Other offerings include horse riding, fencing, scuba diving and polo.

He plays rugby

In February 2022, Kate, who is a royal patron of the Rugby Football League and the Rugby Football Union, shared that her son was playing the sport at school when she attended the England vs. Wales Six Nations game.

Prince George — who accompanied his parents to the event — said that he had just started learning how to tackle, before telling his mom, “But I haven’t tackled you yet!” She replied with a laugh, “Yes, you have!”

During Princess Kate’s visit to the Maidenhead Rugby Club as part of her Shaping Us campaign in 2023, Nigel Gillingham, president of the Rugby Football Union, shared that she helps her kids hone their skills in the sport.

“She regularly plays rugby in the back garden with the children — she plays all sports with them," he said.

Prince George joined his father in France for the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals in October 2023. While making the rounds at the match, Prince William allowed his son to take the lead and be the first to shake hands with those in attendance.

He was close with Queen Elizabeth

Prince George had a close relationship with his late great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, who died on Sept. 8, 2022.

In ITV’s documentary Our Queen at 90 (2016), Kate revealed that at 2 ? years old, George called his great-grandmother “Gan-Gan.” She also shared that the Queen would always leave a gift in her great-grandchildren’s room when they stayed with her. “That just shows her love for her family,” Kate said.

Related: All About Prince William and Kate Middleton's 3 Kids

The world saw the bond between Prince George and Queen Elizabeth on display during several key events, including when they shared a moment on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

She and George also had fun together, as seen in 2019 when they joined William and Charles at Buckingham Palace to whip up Christmas puddings for the “Together at Christmas” campaign — an initiative to provide extra support to the Armed Forces community around the holidays.

Kensington Palace shared a video of Prince George hard at work mixing the batter while the Queen stepped back to make room for her grandson.

He made history during King Charles' coronation

Prince George made history while serving as a Page of Honor for King Charles' coronation ceremony on May 6, 2023. His participation in the event marked the first time in modern royal history that a future monarch was officially involved in such a service.

King Charles was 4 during his mother’s coronation in 1953, making him the first child to witness their mother’s crowning ceremony. Queen Elizabeth was 11 at the coronation of her father, George VI, in 1937; per Westminster Abbey, she witnessed the action from the Royal Gallery. However, neither played an official role in the service.

He’s passionate about animal conservation

Prince William is known for his conservation efforts and environmental causes, and it appears Prince George is following in his father’s footsteps.

During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, George held a cake sale to raise money for the charity Tusk, an organization that works to protect endangered species in Africa, according to The Independent.

Prince William — who has been a royal patron for Tusk since 2005 — shared his eldest son's concern for nature when he revealed that Prince George was deeply saddened while learning about extinction.

“Having watched so many David Attenborough documentaries recently with my children, they absolutely love them, the most recent one — the extinction one — actually George and I had to turn it off, we got so sad about it halfway through," William told Sky News in 2020. "He said to me, 'You know, I don't want to watch this anymore.' "

He played tennis with Roger Federer

While many young athletes dream about the chance to meet their sports idols, few get the chance to play the sport with them, as George did with Roger Federer.

While attending Wimbledon in 2019, Kate — an avid tennis fan — sat near British tennis player Katie Boulter and retired player Anne Keothavong. Keothavong shared with the hosts of the recap show Wimbledon Coffee Morning that the royal’s eldest child was playing tennis and had swung the racquet with his favorite player, Federer.

The Wales family enjoys the sport and even has a tennis court at their Sandringham country estate, Anmer Hall. William also grew up watching matches at the famed grass courts with his mother.

He likes all things aviation

In 2021, Kate visited the Royal Air Force Brize Norton airbase to thank members of teams who had helped evacuate thousands of people from Afghanistan in recent weeks. The royal also shared that her children enjoy all things aviation.

“She did mention that her children are very interested in aircraft," Loadmaster Sgt. Mark Curtis told PEOPLE.

Several royal family members have chosen careers in aviation, including George’s father and his uncle Prince Harry. Prince William was an RAF search and rescue captain, while Prince Harry served in the British Army’s Air Corps and spent time in Afghanistan flying Apache helicopters.

He has an artistic side

On Christmas Day 2022, the Prince and Princess of Wales celebrated the holiday with their social media followers by sharing a festive message and a watercolor painting by their eldest son.

“Happy Christmas! ?? by George,” the caption read.

It appeared the budding artist took inspiration from a Christmas card by Wrendale Designs that similarly features a stag with red-bellied robins on its antlers and adorned with snowfall.

Related: When Prince George Learned He Will Be King — and How His Parents Are Ensuring Role Is Not 'Too Burdensome'

Hannah Dale, the original artist and founder of Wrendale Designs, told Hello! that she instantly recognized the artwork when it came across her social media feed.

“It's a real privilege to inspire any child to want to draw or paint. It was a really lovely compliment," she said. She also shared that George had “talent” and “an eye for form and color.”

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