Prince George’s ‘normal’ birthday without the big bash

Prince George celebrated his 11th birthday on July 22 with a private party, and royal fans were treated to a previously unseen portrait taken by his mum, which was posted to social media.

The New York Post reported that the eldest son of the Prince and Princess of Wales marked their son’s birthday with a special day that was “as normal as possible” considering the difficult year the family has had so far with the Princess of Wales’ (Catherine Middleton) cancer diagnosis*.

Although George’s year has certainly had many highlights so far, including meeting Taylor Swift and attending the euro’s match with his dad.

“Kate (Catherine) is still going to very much carry on like many, many other mothers do, to keep as much of a normal life as possible,” a palace insider* said.

Another palace source* offered more details.

“With royal birthdays, especially with children and especially Catherine’s, they are very private occasions.”

As Catherine continues to undergo cancer treatment following her diagnosis in March, she’s making sure that George’s birthday party is just as fun as in years past, according to King Charles’ former butler*.

“It will be business as usual with potentially a party or other kids coming round,” Grant Harrold said.

“It won’t be a case of him sitting behind closed doors and not doing anything; there will be some sort of a celebration.”

“I’m sure he will get phone calls from his grandparents and other family members today,” Mr Harrold said, adding that the Waleses are “very serious about their privacy.”

In previous years, Catherine, and William have thrown lavish* birthday parties for their kids, and have even invited their children’s classmates to the celebrations.

But George’s birthday stands to look a little different this year considering the challenges the family has been faced with.

“Of course it’s going to be very different from last year, but they will go out of their way, I’m sure, to make George’s birthday as normal as possible this year,” Mr Harrold said.

“They wouldn’t want to make George think this year is any different. Yes, it will be different, for obvious reasons, but the parents will want him to have a normal birthday.”

And according to the former royal butler, who had previously worked for King Charles for seven years, royal parties don’t differ too much from the average children’s birthday bash.

“A royal birthday party is very much like a normal birthday party. It is slightly different as their homes are slightly different to the average home,” he explained.

“As far as the actual morning, it will be a typical morning with birthday cards, gifts and phone calls. In the afternoon, for the senior royals, it is business as usual with a few cakes along the way.”

Meanwhile, Prince George has subtly paid homage* to his Taylor Swift fandom in his 11th birthday portrait, just days after Princess Charlotte also sported the same accessory.

A very grown up black and white portrait of the future king of England was uploaded to Instagram and X, showing a smiling George sitting on a bench, dressed in a jacket and white shirt.

The picture, which was black and white, was taken by his mother, in Windsor earlier this month. The young prince can be seen wearing a friendship bracelet in his left wrist, proving he is a big fan of Taylor Swift.

The giving of friendship bands has become a fad of those attending Swift’s Eras Tour, which George attended last month, along with Prince William and Princess Charlotte.

King Charles, 75, has also been seen wearing what appears to be a “friendship bracelet” during his recent public appearances.

The monarch’s* bracelet appears to be a red and white knotted bracelet, and is similar to two threaded bracelets worn by Princess Charlotte at Wimbledon.

Young George will be the 43rd monarch to wear the crown if he follows the footsteps of his grandfather, King Charles, and then his father, Prince William. George is the second in line* to the British throne, following the death of his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth in 2022.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• diagnosis: the identification of the nature of an illness or other problem by examination of the symptoms
• insider: a person who has access to confidential or secret information
• source: a person, book, or document that provides information
• butler: the chief manservant of a house
• lavish: rich, elaborate, or luxurious
• homage: special honour or respect shown publicly
• monarch: a sovereign head of state, especially a king, queen, or emperor
• second in line: the next person in succession after the current holder of a position, title, or office, in this case, the throne

EXTRA READING

Young royals nurse mum on the mend

Palace confirms King Charles has cancer

Prince Louis fires back at big sis

QUICK QUIZ

What significant event did Prince George experience this year, and how did his family try to make it as normal as possible?

Who took the black and white portrait of Prince George for his 11th birthday, and where was it taken?

What is the special accessory that Prince George is wearing in his birthday portrait, and what popular cultural event is it associated with?

How has Princess Catherine’s health condition impacted Prince George’s birthday celebration this year?

What do the former royal butler’s comments suggest about the nature of royal birthday parties compared to average children’s birthday parties?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Royal birthdays
The article speculates on how Prince George may have celebrated his 11th birthday. What do you think an 11-year-old boy may like to do for his birthday celebrations, and how would that compare to when you are an 11-year-old boy who is the future King of England?

Fill out the table below noting some ideas, similarities and differences of Prince George’s possible birthday celebrations, compared to an average 11 year old boy.

11-year-old boy birthday party ideas:

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Birthday similarities (between an average boy and Prince George) Birthday differences

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Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity

Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
While being part of the British Royal Family comes with many perks (meeting Taylor Swift, going to football finals etc.), it would also be hard for young children.

What would some of the harder things be for Prince George and his siblings while growing up in the Royal Family?

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
1. News: condensed
Identify the most important pieces of information in this article and write a condensed version of it using 50 words or less.

Draw a picture or diagram to support your condensed news story.

Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science

2. Extension
Compare your condensed news story with a classmate. Did you both include the same information or are your stories quite different? Discuss your choices and then work together to create a final condensed version of the story that you both agree tells the important parts that a reader would need or want to know.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English