No kid lives a life quite like the heir to the British throne — but what does that
mean for the relationship between Prince George and his mother, Princess Catherine?
Public engagements are usually a big deal for the royals. Given that nearly every
senior royal is expected to participate in this tradition, it was only a matter of time before
Prince George followed suit. While George has yet to carry out his first solo engagement,
Princess Catherine found time for her prince to make his first public appearance in 2014.
That year, Prince William and Princess Catherine engaged in a royal tour of New Zealand. There,
the two met with other parents and the childcare organization, Plunket, at Government House. While
the adults talked, the 8-month-old Prince George got to play with the other babies in attendance.
It may have been no coincidence that Princess Diana had taken Prince William for his first
public engagement in New Zealand over 30 years before. Apparently, those in attendance quickly
noticed Princess Catherine and Prince George's resemblance to Princess Diana and Prince William.
Given the royal family's interest in sports, onlookers couldn't help but notice the mother-son
connection between Princess Catherine and Prince George at Wimbledon in 2022. Paired with navy blue
ensembles, Catherine followed tradition by taking her son to his first Wimbledon
match. Like George's first public engagement, Catherine's appearance reminded some people of
the moment Princess Diana took Prince William to his first Wimbledon match in 1991. Fans,
who had attended to see Novak Djokovic face off against Nick Kyrgios in the men's finals, seemed
equally entertained by the array of emotions George displayed throughout his time there.
Only the eldest of Princess Catherine's three children attended that year's Wimbledon;
though this was her second time attending the event that weekend,
she apparently wanted that day to be dedicated solely to Prince George. When reporters asked
the princess about the absence of her other two children at the event, she told them:
"It's George's treat today."
Princess Catherine has become involved in a number of sporting events and organizations
over the years. For example, she is the royal patron for the Rugby Football Union,
a position previously held by her brother-in-law, Prince Harry.
"The advocacy work she does,
especially for women and where we want to take the women's game, is brilliant."
And it appears that Catherine's passion for rugby rubbed off on Prince George,
as he took up an interest in the sport at an early age.
During her appearance at the Six Nations rugby tournament in February 2023,
the mother of three praised Prince George for his natural build for
the sport. On George's transition from touch rugby to the proper game, she said:
"They are trying to teach him the rules. They move them around for
their confidence. Because he is tall, he has the physique."
Catherine had previously hinted at George's fascination with the sport
at the England versus Wales Six Nations match in 2022. Catherine
revealed that the then-8-year-old prince had started playing the sport at school.
And his dedicated tackling partner? None other than Catherine herself.
While Princess Catherine and Prince George share an interest in athletics,
the two seem to hold opposing opinions about their respectable prowess in
sports. Although Catherine went on record to insist that George is a talented rugby player,
the young prince has been less than generous about his mother's talent in football.
In 2019, Prince William and Princess Catherine traveled to Northern Ireland to meet children at
the Windsor Park football stadium. After talking to the kids, Catherine participated in a friendly
yet competitive football match. Prince William saw this as an opportunity to warn the kids of
her ankle-sweeping tactics, and Catherine even poked fun at herself, revealing that her eldest
son isn't too fond of her football skills. As a hands-on mother, she'd spend her time
at home helping the young prince sharpen his skills at the sport. According to Catherine,
however, George would rather playfully insult her, telling her that she's "so rubbish" at
the sport. Catherine apparently agreed with the 9-year-old's past comments at the event, saying:
"I should have picked up some tips from George."
As the son of Prince William, Prince George is now second in line to the British throne,
and it is likely that he will take the throne after the death of his father.
Given his young age, you might imagine how difficult it can be to break this news to
a child — after all, that's a heck of a lot of responsibility for a kid to bear.
"Very unwieldy,"
Royal traditions can also create difficult challenges for young heirs,
since their relation to the British throne makes them a priority among their siblings.
According to Robert Lacey's book Battle of Brothers, Prince William and Princess
Catherine both informed the future monarch about his position in the royal family. Lacey writes:
"Sometime around the boy's seventh birthday in the summer of 2020 it is
thought that his parents went into more detail about what the little
prince's life of future royal 'service and duty' would particularly involve."
While they have informed him about his future role as king,
William and Catherine also want to prepare George for his royal obligations at their own
pace. To give her child as normal an upbringing as she possibly can, Catherine has taken slow and
steady steps in introducing him to the busy life he'll likely lead in his adult years.
King Charles III's coronation marked a turning point in royal history and garnered significant
global media attention, especially when it came to who would play a part in the ceremony — and
that included Prince George. However, stories quickly surfaced regarding Princess Catherine's
apprehension about her son taking part in the ceremony. While there was no real push-back
from Catherine, she did express worry about the pressures her son may face after the coronation.
In March 2023, an insider told the Sunday Times that Catherine didn't mind if her son played a
major part in the ceremony — she did, however, want to ensure his public safety. Given their
approach to their son's royal obligations, the insider revealed that Catherine would happily
accept George's part in the coronation if they could ensure he wouldn't face, in their words,
"overwhelming scrutiny." Reports soon emerged suggesting that Prince William and Catherine
were scheduled to talk with King Charles about Prince George's role in the ceremony. Meanwhile,
royal historian Hugo Vickers suggested that George's appearance in the coronation
would be significant to his role as a direct heir to the throne. He said:
"Bringing George in also sends all the right symbolism for the future
and gives him something he will always remember."
Despite Catherine's worries, George played his important role in the
coronation — a significant moment in the young prince's royal career.
Although Prince George receives special treatment due to his role in the royal family,
William and Catherine make sure his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, are treated
equally. Hopefully, this would mean that no resentment is harbored toward each other. Still,
despite this self-awareness, it's only natural for sibling rivalries to ensue. Whenever that
is the case, it seems that George is usually the catalyst for their quarrels at home. In
an interview with ITV's This Morning in 2020, Catherine revealed that homeschooling during
the pandemic had been difficult because she couldn't keep her eldest son satisfied.
"George gets very upset because he wants to do all of Charlotte's projects — making
sort of spider sandwiches is far cooler than literacy work."
George's envious feelings toward his young siblings also extend to Prince Louis. For example,
Catherine has encouraged her kids to pick up gardening as a family pastime. While
helping to plant sunflowers at The Nook, a children's hospital facility in Norfolk,
she revealed that gardening often becomes a little competitive between her two boys.
Since Louis had an innate knack for gardening at 2 years old,
George grew jealous of his younger brother's ability to grow sunflowers. Catherine said:
"The children are really enjoying growing their sunflowers. Louis is winning,
so George is a little grumpy about that!"
In her capacity as Princess of Wales, Princess Catherine often undertakes humanitarian work.
From tackling societal issues ranging from drug addiction to mental health,
the princess has expressed an interest in helping others on a number of occasions.
This ultimately led to her hosting Royal Carols: Together at Christmas in 2021.
According to Catherine's program for the concert, the holiday spectacle served as a
tribute to those who assisted their communities throughout the coronavirus pandemic. She wrote:
"This Carol Service is our small way of recognising the inspiring contribution
so many of you have made. Thank you."
As the event was run by the Royal Foundation, several members of the royal family attended
to show their support for the cause. There were a few exceptions, however: Notably, Prince George,
Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis were absent. It's possible that they may have been
kept home to lessen their potential exposure to COVID-19. That said, George and his sister made
an appearance to support their mother for the second rendition of the event in 2022. There,
George got to watch the royal family pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth, including Prince
William himself, who read an excerpt from a previous broadcast from his grandmother.
Princess Catherine's role as a doting mother has been tested several times by the limitations
placed by higher-ups in the royal family. Since Prince George is a direct heir to the throne,
the amount of protection he requires is understandable. This can conflict with
their everyday lives, however. Something as simple as traveling with George has to be done
with the utmost care — for example, the royal family's unwritten rules state that two or more
heirs should never travel on the same plane. As expected, Catherine regularly broke this
rule so that her 9-year-old prince didn't have to travel alone. Given her approach to motherhood,
this wouldn't be the only time she would break royal tradition for George's sake.
The annual St. Patrick's Day parade held at the Cavalry Barracks in Hounslow is a
121-year-long tradition, one that Prince William and Princess Catherine regularly attend. Despite
her four-year run participating in the service, the mother of three did not attend the parade
in 2016. Those in attendance were informed that her absence was strictly family related.
Though it wasn't directly stated, it appeared that Catherine prioritized staying at home
with Prince George and his newborn sister Charlotte over attending the royal event.