A smiling Prince George, sunglasses on and cricket bat in hand, frolics on a Cornish beach in a new birthday video released by Kensington Palace — a glimpse of childhood freedom before the teenager heads to one of Britain's most elite boarding schools.
The video, shot at Easter, shows George climbing rocks and playing cricket, accompanied by a caption thanking well-wishers for birthday messages. It follows a more formal photograph published earlier on Wednesday, in which the second in line to the throne stands with hands in his pockets, wearing an open-necked white shirt and dark suit.
“Prince George turns 13 with a beach video and formal portrait ahead of starting at Eton College in September.”
The photo was taken at Kensington Palace last month by photographer Matt Porteous, straight after the Trooping the Colour ceremony. “Happy 13th birthday, George!” read the social media caption alongside a party popper emoji.
This year’s portrait is notably more grown-up than last year’s countryside image, where George wore a gilet and friendship bracelet in Norfolk. The shift marks a milestone: in September, the prince will start secondary school at Eton College, the elite private school where entry usually begins at age 13.
Eton, close to the Wales family home on the Windsor estate, is where his father Prince William boarded and later recalled enjoying his time. His uncle Prince Harry and great uncle Earl Spencer also studied there. George will become a boarder in one of Eton's 25 houses, each with about 55 pupils supervised by a house master. Previously, he attended Lambrook School in Berkshire alongside his sister Charlotte and brother Louis.
Now a teenager, Prince George is second in line to the throne — and with a new school and a more formal birthday portrait, the palace signals a prince stepping into adolescence.