Prince George of Cambridge

Prince George of Cambridge (George Alexander Louis;[fn 1] born 22 July 2013) is a member of the British royal family. He is the eldest child of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and third in the line of succession to the British throne behind his grandfather Prince Charles and his father. As he is expected to become king one day, his birth was widely celebrated across the Commonwealth realms. George occasionally accompanies his parents on royal tours and engagements, and has affected business and popular culture.

Prince George
Prince George in 2019
Born (2013-07-22) 22 July 2013
St Mary's Hospital, London, England
Full name
George Alexander Louis Mountbatten-Windsor
HouseWindsor
FatherPrince William, Duke of Cambridge
MotherCatherine Middleton

Birth and christening

George's father, the Duke of Cambridge is the elder son of the Prince of Wales, who is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II,[3] meaning that his first child would be third in the line of succession to the British throne.[4] Speculation ensued during the pregnancy of his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, that the birth would boost the British national economy and provide a focus for national pride.[4][5] Commemorative coins were issued by the Royal Mint, Royal Canadian Mint, and Royal Australian Mint;[6][7][8] the first time a royal birth had been marked that way.[6][9]

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leaving St Mary's Hospital, London, with Prince George in 2013

Prince George was born in Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, London, at 16:24 BST (15:24 UTC) on 22 July 2013.[10] The customary formal bulletin announcing the royal birth was displayed on an easel outside Buckingham Palace, although, in a break with tradition, the news was first conveyed in a press release from palace officials.[10][11] The newborn was widely hailed as a future king.[12][13] 21-gun salutes signalled the birth in the capitals of the UK,[14] Bermuda,[15] New Zealand,[16] and Canada;[17] the bells of Westminster Abbey and many other churches were rung;[18][19] and iconic landmarks in the Commonwealth realms were illuminated in various colours, mostly blue to signify the birth of a boy.[20] On 24 July, his name was announced as George Alexander Louis.[21]

Prince George was christened by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace on 23 October 2013, with Oliver Baker, Emilia Jardine-Paterson, Earl Grosvenor, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the Hon. Julia Samuel, William van Cutsem and Zara Tindall serving as godparents.[22][23] The font used at the ceremony was made for Queen Victoria's first child and the water was taken from the River Jordan.[24][25] The Royal Mint issued a set of commemorative coins to celebrate the christening, the first coins to mark a royal christening in Britain.[26] Prince George's birth marked the second time that three generations in direct line of succession to the throne have been alive at the same time, a situation that last occurred between 1894 and 1901, in the last seven years of the reign of Queen Victoria.[27]

Education

In January 2016, George started his education at the Westacre Montessori School Nursery, near his family home at Anmer Hall in Norfolk.[28] He attended his first day of primary school on 7 September 2017 at the Thomas's School in Battersea.[29][30] He is known as George Cambridge at school.[2] However, "Unless The Prince of Wales chooses to alter the present decisions when he becomes king, he will continue to be of the House of Windsor and his grandchildren will use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor."[31]

Official appearances

George meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at Kensington Palace in 2016

George embarked on his first royal tour with his parents in April 2014, during which the Cambridges spent three weeks in New Zealand and Australia. Although he only appeared twice, the BBC described the "nine-month-old future king" as "the star of the show". Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott predicted in Parliament House, Canberra, that George would one day be welcomed there as King of Australia.[32] In June 2015, he made his first public appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Trooping the Colour parade marking the Queen's Official Birthday.[33]

On 22 April 2016, George met Barack Obama, President of the United States. He was photographed with a rocking horse that Obama had given him when he was born. The encounter later prompted Obama to joke that "Prince George showed up to our meeting in his bathrobe... a clear breach of protocol."[34] George and Charlotte accompanied their parents on a tour of Canada in September 2016,[35][36] and on a diplomatic visit to Poland and Germany in July 2017.[37]

In March 2020, he joined his siblings, Charlotte and Louis, in an online video to applaud key workers during the coronavirus pandemic.[38] In September 2020, the children met David Attenborough; Kensington Palace subsequently released a video of them asking Attenborough questions regarding environmental conservation.[39][40] In December 2020, they made their first red carpet appearance accompanying their parents to the London Palladium for a performance of a pantomime held to thank key workers for their efforts during the pandemic.[41][42][43]

In the media

The "Prince George effect", also known as the "royal baby effect", is that clothing and products identified as used by George tend to sell better than before. The effect was noted during his April 2014 tour of New Zealand and Australia and many businesses have attempted to use this effect to their advantage.[44] He was ranked No. 49 on GQ's "50 Best Dressed Men in Britain" list in 2015.[45] In 2016, the dressing gown he wore while meeting President Obama sold out after he was seen wearing it.[46] In September 2017 the news that the Prince's school had served a Le Puy green lentil dish resulted in a spike in the legume's sales.[47] In 2018, George became the youngest person to appear on Tatler's best-dressed list.[48]

George's parents are adamant that he should grow up as privately as possible. He is consequently rarely seen in public, including royal tours.[49] In August 2015, Kensington Palace stated that they wanted all global media to stop taking unauthorised photographs of George, as they believed "a line has been crossed" in paparazzi methods of locating and photographing him.[50]

Title and style

Prince George's official title and style is "His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge".[51][52] As with other princes and princesses who are born to royal dukes, George's territorial designation is taken from his father's title,[51] in this case "Cambridge", from the Dukedom of Cambridge.[53]

See also

Notes

  1. British princes and princesses such as Prince George do not normally use a surname. If needed, the surname for descendants of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip is usually Mountbatten-Windsor.[1] At school, Prince George is known as George Cambridge, after the territorial designation of his father's dukedom.[2]

References

  1. "The Royal Family name". The Official Website of the British Monarchy. The Royal Household. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  2. Davies, Caroline (7 September 2017). "Prince George arrives for first day at £18,000-a-year prep school". The Guardian.
  3. "Royal family tree: How the line of succession to the British throne has changed with the birth of Prince Louis". The Telegraph. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  4. Trotman, Andrew, ed. (17 June 2013). "Brits to spend £243m celebrating birth of Royal baby". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  5. Griffiths, Kathie (19 July 2013). "Campaign launched to show national pride". The Telegraph & Argus.
  6. Low, Valentine (26 July 2013). "Royal Mint strikes lucky with prince's name". The Times. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  7. "Governor General unveils coins commemorating birth of Prince George". CTV. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  8. "2013 50c Silver Proof Royal Baby". Royal Australian Mint. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  9. "TheRoyal Christening of Prince George of Cambridge". www.royalmint.com. The Royal Mint. Archived from the original on 10 October 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  10. Owen, Paul; Walker, Peter; Quinn, Ben; Gabbatt, Adam (22 July 2013). "Royal baby: Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to a boy – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  11. "Royal baby bulletin displayed at palace (video)". BBC News. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  12. Malkin, Bonnie; Johnson, Daniel (23 July 2013). "Royal baby: what the British papers said". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  13. "A Future Monarch is Born". The Times. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  14. "Royal Baby: Birth Marked With Gun Salutes". Sky News. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  15. "Royal Baby Born, Regiment to Fire 21 Gun Salute". Bernews. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  16. Shuttleworth, Kate (23 July 2013). "Royal baby: NZ marks birth with 21-gun salute". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  17. "Special Gun Salute Honours Birth of Royal Baby". Market Wired. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  18. "Live: Royal baby welcomed with full peal of bells at Westminster Abbey (video)". The Telegraph. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  19. "The birth of HRH Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge". Bell Board. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  20. Waldie, Paul (12 July 2013). "Around the world, the countdown is on for the royal baby". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  21. Davies, Caroline (24 July 2013). "Prince George: royal couple choose name fit for a king". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  22. "The christening of Prince George of Cambridge". Clarence House. 27 September 2013. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  23. "Prince George christening: Godparents announced". BBC News. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  24. Relph, Daniela (23 October 2013). "Low-key christening for Prince George". BBC News. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  25. "Prince George on his best behaviour as he is christened". The Daily Telegraph. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  26. "Royal christening £5 coin for Prince George". Western Daily Press. 8 October 2013. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  27. Johnson, Daniel; et al. (22 July 2013). "Royal baby: three generations of heirs in waiting". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  28. "Prince George to attend Westacre Montessori School Nursery". BBC News. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  29. "Prince George to attend Thomas's School in Battersea". BBC News. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  30. "Prince George starts first day of school". BBC News. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  31. "The Royal Family name". Official website of the British monarchy. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  32. Witchell, Nicholas (25 April 2014). "Royal tour: Prince George steals the show as support for monarchy rises". BBC News.
  33. "Prince George watches on excitedly as Royal family arrive at Trooping the Colour parade". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  34. "Barack Obama jokes Prince George's pyjamas greeting was 'slap in the face' in his final speech at White House Correspondents' dinner". Daily Telegraph. 1 May 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  35. Canada (1 October 2016). "Prince William, Kate and children bid farewell to Canada as royal tour ends". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  36. "No five: Prince George refuses greeting from Canada's Justin Trudeau". The Guardian. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  37. Hunt, Peter (17 July 2017). "George and Charlotte join Poland and Germany diplomacy tour". BBC. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  38. Young, Sarah (27 March 2020). "Clap for our carers: Harry and Meghan join Prince George, Charlotte and Louis in applause for NHS workers". The Independent. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  39. "Royal children quiz Sir David Attenborough". BBC News. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  40. Taylor, Elise (3 October 2020). "The Cambridge Kids Have Some Adorable Questions for Sir David Attenborough". Vogue. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  41. "Prince William and Kate make red carpet debut with royal children". BBC News. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  42. Foussianes, Chloe (11 December 2020). "Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis Make Surprise Appearance at the London Palladium". Town & Country. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  43. Jones, Tony; Rowlands, Robert (12 December 2020). "Adorable photo as William and Kate take kids to Christmas panto". CambridgeshireLive. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  44. "Your Community 'Prince George Effect' still in full force on tot's 1st birthday". Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  45. "50 Best Dressed Men in Britain 2015". GQ. 5 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 January 2015.
  46. Ura, Daniel (25 April 2016). "Prince George's $39 robe from Obama meeting sold out in minutes". United Press International. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  47. Sage, Adam (14 September 2017). "Prince George connection drives demand for French lentils". The Times. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  48. Taylor, Rebecca (2 August 2018). "Prince George joins Meghan and Kate on Tatler best-dressed list". Sky News. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  49. Hunt, Peter (29 September 2016). "Prince George and Princess Charlotte in Canada play day". BBC News. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  50. "Prince George 'being harassed by paparazzi'". BBC. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  51. "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – The Duchess of Cambridge has been delivered of a son". Clarence House website. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  52. "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge name their baby, Clarence House website". Princeofwales.gov.uk. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  53. "The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall News and Diary". Clarence House website. 24 July 2013.
Prince George of Cambridge
Born: 22 July 2013
Lines of succession
Preceded by
The Duke of Cambridge
Succession to the British throne
3rd in line
Followed by
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
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