He might’ve had the bitter disappointment of watching England lose to Spain in the final of Euro 2024 last Sunday, but Prince George will be feeling chipper as he turns 11 today.
Just a few weeks ago he met pop megastar Taylor Swift and both his mother Kate and grandfather King Charles are doing well amid their respective cancer battles.
The meeting with Swift backstage at Wembley Stadium on the opening night of the London leg of her Eras tour came on his father Prince William’s 42nd birthday.
The second in line to the throne has lived through some of the most turbulent times in recent royal history.
He endured the death of his beloved great-grandparents Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth in April 2021 and September 2022 respectively.
George has also seen the breakdown of his father’s relationship with his uncle Prince Harry in recent years.
But this year has been the hardest of all. His grandfather’s cancer diagnosis in February hit the family first, whilst his mother’s was announced the following month.
He might’ve had the bitter disappointment of watching England lose to Spain in the final of Euro 2024 last Sunday, but Prince George will likely be feeling chipper as he turns 11 today
Taylor Swift with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince William at her Wembley gig last month
George Alexander Louis was born at 4.24pm on July 22,2013 at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington
Kate, 42, announced her shocking health update with an emotional video message telling the public how she is undergoing ‘preventative’ chemotherapy.
The Princess shared how she and William ‘have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family’.
It came after Kate had not been seen for weeks following major abdominal surgery at The London Clinic in January.
In a sign that his mother’s treatment is going well, George enjoyed a public outing with her at Trooping the Colour to mark the King’s official birthday in June.
He rode in a carriage with Kate, Charlotte and 6-year-old Louis during the procession and stood on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with his family.
Despite the family struggles, George has continued to shine at all his public appearances.
His demeanor has demonstrated how the young Prince is being well prepared for his future responsibilities as monarch.
George Alexander Louis was born at 4.24pm on July 22,2013 at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington.
George waving from the balcony after the Trooping the Colour last month with William, Kate, Louis and Charlotte
The family looking up during the fly by over Buckingham Palace for the Trooping the Colour earlier this year
Jumping with his father and siblings in a photograph released for Prince William’s 42nd birthday last month
George photographed in Windsor last year to mark his 10th birthday
George turning to look at the crowds on the Buckingham Palace balcony on the day of the Coronation of his grandfather, King Charles, May 6, 2023
The young Prince pictured with Louis and Charlotte riding a carriage during the Trooping the Colour ceremony last year
Four-year-old George walking into school with William for his first day at Thomas’s in Battersea
It has been the traditional choice for royal mothers since the Duchess of Gloucester gave birth to son Alexander there in 1974.
George made his public debut in his mother’s arms the following day on the steps of the private Lindo wing, where the world’s media had been camped outside for days.
It was the same hospital that his father, Prince William, was born at 31 years earlier.
The bells of Westminster Abbey rang out in celebration and a wood-and-gold easel outside Buckingham Palace formally announced the birth.
While it had taken seven days for Charles and Princess Diana to announce William’s name, George’s was revealed two days after his birth.
The King seen with George at Westminster Abbey during his Coronation last year
George taking a peek with his Louis, Charlotte, Mia Tindall and Princess Beatrice during Trooping the Colour in 2022
George watches the men’s singles final of Wimbledon from the Royal Box, July 2023
All smiles from George during the Wimbledon men’s singles final in July 2022
George celebrating a goal during the Euro 2020 England vs Italy game while his parents clap and cheer
Weighing 8lb 6oz, he was born third in line to the throne.
His great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, saw her third great-grandchild for the first time at Kensington Palace on July 24.
Shortly afterwards, Kate and William took George to her family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, where he was introduced to her parents Carole and Michael and her siblings Pippa and James.
George went on his first royal tour at just eight months old, when his parents took him to Australia and New Zealand in April 2014.
The following year, on May 2, 2015, Princess Charlotte born in the same hospital as her older brother.
The youngest of the trio, Prince Louis, was also born at St Mary’s on April 23, 2018.
As he has gotten older, George has joined his father at sporting events, including watching the cricket, rugby and football.
Prince George seen in a car seat outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital on July 23, 2013
The easel outside Buckingham Palace formally announcing the birth of Prince George on July 22, 2013
The public got the chance to see three-month-old Prince George as his mother carries him into St James;s Palace for his christening in October 2013
Prince George is photographed on his first tour abroad at Government House, New Zealand in in April 2014
Prince George, just before turning one years old, alongside his parents during a visit to the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum in July 2014
Prince William carrying George into the Lindo wing of St Mary’s Hospital to visit Kate after Charlotte was born in 2015
Nearly two, George takes a stroll at the Beaufort Polo Club in 2015
George wearing baby blue as he his held by his father Prince William at Trooping the Colour, June 2015
Prince George in cheeky mood at the windows of Buckingham Palace ahead of his appearance on the balcony for the 2015 Trooping the Colour
Prince George peeks at his newly christened sister Princess Charlotte as the family leaves the Church of St Mary Magdalene on July 5, 2015 in King’s Lynn
Barack Obama and his wife Michelle crouched down to meet and shake hands with a puzzled-looking George at Kensington Palace, who was wearing his dressing gown and slippers in April 2016
George watches a plane fly by at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, July 2016
An official photograph of George at the family home in Norfolk for his third birthday in 2016
Prince George is enchanted by the bubbles at a children’s party for Military families during the Royal Tour of Canada in September 2016
Prince George gets a tight hug from his father, William, on tour in Canada, 2016
George playing with bubbles at a children’s party for military families during the Royal Tour in Canada in 2016
George is delighted as he gets a first-hand look at helicopters on the last day of an official visit to Poland and Germany in July 2017
An affectionate kiss for William’s hand as they arrive at Warsaw Airport in 2017
Kate keeps a tight rein on three-year-old Prince George at her sister Pippa Middleton’s wedding to James Matthews in May 2017
Now four, the smart young royal arrives for his first day of school at Thomas’s in Battersea, south-west London, on September 7, 2017
The prince is in fits of giggles with sister Charlotte, left, and cousin, Savannah Phillips, on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping The Colour 2018
George, now five, and Charlotte are members of the bridal party for Princess Eugenie’s wedding in October 2018
Prince George, dressed in a nautical-inspired polo top, joins grandfather Michael Middleton as they watch the King’s Cup regatta in August 2019
The young Prince walked into school with his parents and Charlotte on his sister’s first day in 2019
George was trying to get in on the fun and games as his father took part in the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day at Billingbear Polo Club in July 2019
Now nine, George joins his siblings, Charlotte and Louis, and parents for a ‘settling in day’ for new students at Lambrook School following the Waleses move to Windsor in September 2022
Prince George attends the State Funeral of his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey
Nine-year-old George leads his family into Easter Sunday services at Windsor Castle last year
A beaming Prince George holds a replica Ashes Urn while sitting with his father and Richard Thompson, Chairman of the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) as England take on Australia at Lord’s
The Daily Mail’s coverage of the birth of Prince George
Two days after he was born, George’s name was revealed to the world
He has been to Aston Villa matches, the FA Cup final and England’s clash with Spain in the Euro 2024 final earlier this month.
As George approaches secondary school age, there has also been speculation over where he will spend his next stage of education.
Prince William attended the prestigious Eton College while Kate went to Marlborough School in Buckinghamshire.
William and Kate visited both as they looked into options for George.
But it emerged earlier this year that the couple had added Oundle School in Peterborough to their list of options for their eldest son.
The £34,000-a-year co-educational school in north Northamptonshire dates from 1556 but has a modern ethos, boasting on its website: ‘We have a responsibility to ensure that every single member of the school community takes both individual and collective action towards environmental sustainability.’