A new photograph of Prince George, issued by Kensington Palace to mark his 13th birthday, shows the future king standing with his hands in his pockets, wearing an open-necked white shirt and dark suit. The image, taken at Kensington Palace last month straight after Trooping the Colour by photographer Matt Porteous, was posted on social media with the message “Happy 13th birthday, George!” and a party popper emoji.
George, the elder son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, is second in line to the throne. The more formal portrait – a departure from last year’s rural shot in a gilet and friendship bracelet in Norfolk – comes as the teenager prepares to start secondary school at Eton College in September, following in his father Prince William’s footsteps. William, who spoke of enjoying his time at Eton in an interview aged 18, attended the elite boarding school along with Prince Harry and Earl Spencer. George will board in one of Eton’s 25 houses, each with about 55 pupils. The school is close to the Wales family home on the Windsor estate.
“Prince George turns 13 in new suit portrait as he prepares to start Eton, while a past photo of him is linked to Harry and Meghan's rift.”
The birthday milestone also casts a spotlight on the royal family’s fractured relationships. A seemingly innocent photograph of Prince George from early 2020 – showing the late Queen alongside her three heirs (then-Prince Charles, William and six-year-old George) in the throne room at Buckingham Palace – is believed to have served as a “wake up call” for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, solidifying their determination to leave the Firm, according to royal expert Andrew Morton. In his book *Meghan: A Hollywood Princess*, Morton wrote: “The royal couple suspected that the entire institution was conspiring against them. … The unspoken code was straightforward: the future of the monarchy was assured, with or without Meghan and Harry.” On the *Pod Save The King* podcast, Morton revealed that Harry began discussing an exit with Oprah Winfrey in a London hotel in November 2018, just six months after the wedding.
Harry, whose legal challenge over his reduced security arrangement was recently rejected by a judge, told the BBC in a subsequent interview: “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.” The discord, traced to the couple’s decision to withdraw from royal duties in 2020, now appears beyond repair.
