Royal family recap: Prince George is officially a teenager and more royal news

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Good morning and happy Wednesday! Today is a big day for the Prince and Princess of Wales as their firstborn, Prince George, turns 13! The royal is now officially a teenager as he prepares to join the legendary Eton College later this year. The royal children are growing up fast as his younger sister, Princess Charlotte, is now 11, while Prince Louis is eight. 

While the Wales family will likely be partaking in big birthday celebrations, it is business as usual for the rest of the royal family who are up and down the country for engagements. King Charles and Queen Camilla will attend the opening day of the Sandringham Flower Show, which is an event running until 26 July. 

Meanwhile, Prince Edward and his wife Duchess Sophie will split up for various events with Edward attending the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Sophie heading to The Royal Welsh Show.

Princess Anne will be visiting Bentley Motors to open its paint shop and the annual presentation at the Women's Royal Naval Service Benevolent Trust and the Duke of Gloucester will be at York railway museum and York Minster.

It's a busy day, stay tuned! 

As well as Prince George's birthday, today marks the 24th birthday of Count Felix of Monpezat SK, who is part of the Danish royal family. 

The palace released a photograph to mark the occasion and it was accompanied with the caption: "Congratulations to His Excellence Count Felix on his Birthday. On the occasion of the Count's 24th birthday, a portrait of His Excellency together with his family is published. The portrait was taken in January 2026."

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Throwing it back to this day in 1995 when Princess Diana proved she could pull of sailor chic in a striking navy and white outfit. 

The royal was on a visit to the Light Dragoons regiment in Germany in her role as their Colonel-in-Chief.

Her jacket featured white lapels and cuffs as well as a thin belt and her wide-brimmed hat matched perfectly. She went one step further, teaming the bold ensemble with pearls, adding a touch of glamour. We've even seen Princess Kate take inspiration from her late mother-in-law with a similar look.

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A new photo of Prince George has been released to celebrate his 13th birthday. He was seen smiling in a picture taken by the family's trusted photographer, Matt Porteous, captured at Kensington Palace just after Trooping The Colour last month.

George was the spitting image of his father, Prince William, in the snap. wearing a smart navy suit and white shirt, without the blue tie he was seen in at Trooping. It made for a more casual image of the young Prince, who will soon be heading to Eton College. 

"Happy 13th Birthday, George!," read the message alongside the photo, adding a party popper emoji.

The future King, Prince George Alexander Louis, was born in the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London, at 4.24pm on 22 July 2013, weighing 8lb 6oz. Which seems like just yesterday. We wish him many happy returns!

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Yesterday marked Belgium's National Day and the royals were out in force. King Philippe of Belgium, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Prince Gabriel of Belgium, Prince Emmanuel of Belgium and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium were pictured in their finest attire for the occasion. 

In the photo above, they are taking part of the military parade. They all looked amazing but Queen Mathilde wins in the style stakes, sporting a gold lace dress in a midi length, teamed with a striking straw hat. Incredible! 

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King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived at the Sandringham Flower Show in style via horse and carriage. The monarch looked dapper in a cream suit with purple tie, using a wooden walking stick as he climbed down from the carriage. His wife was a vision in a green paisley print dress, paired with a small straw bag and wedge heels. 

This event is the first Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) show to be held at Sandringham Estate. The show features award-winning gardens, expert talks, children's experiences and incredible food and drink. It sounds like the royal couple are in for a treat!

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Prince George has reached his teenage years, as today marks his 13th birthday. 

To celebrate their firstborn's big day on Wednesday, the couple released a new portrait of George, taken in June just after Trooping the Colour, by one of their favourite family photograhers, Matt Porteous. "Happy 13th Birthday, George!" the caption read. 

He has his teenage life ahead of him, as he embarks on a whole new experience when he enrols at Eton College later this year. 

As well as the same milestones as any normal teen, George also faces his future as the King one day. Join our VIP Club and discover how his parents, Prince William and Princess Kate, are preparing him for boarding school independence and his responsibilities ahead. 

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Yesterday, Princess Anne met with victims, survivors, volunteers and frontline caseworkers at Victim Support Gwent at Monmouthshire County Hall, to learn more about the life-changing impact of independent victims’ services.  

The charity supports thousands of people every year, affected by all types of crime. Its specialist caseworkers help people understand their options, navigate the criminal justice system, develop personal safety plans, access practical support and feel heard and believed after often traumatic experiences. 

A victim-survivor of domestic violence, who spoke to The Princess Royal today, said: "Victim Support's group sessions have been like a sanctuary for me, a godsend - my caseworker is an absolute diamond. He has supported me through child protection proceedings, social care referrals, police investigations and has advocated for me as a victim when I felt my voice wasn’t being heard. He's kept me calm and stable. 

"It's so important this group keeps going, for other survivors. I can’t even begin to put into words how much the service has helped me. I came into the system alone, scared, and a victim; I’ve come out the system heard, listened to and a survivor of domestic abuse. I honestly would have been lost without the support."

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Mike Tindall has extended a surprise olive branch to his cousin-in-law Prince Harry by sharing a clip of him to his The Good, The Bad, and The Rugby podcast Instagram page. 

The former rugby union player reshared a clip of the Duke of Sussex, 41, from his recent appearance on Joe Marler Will See You Now. This comes after Mike's comment back in May, when he took a jibe at the Duke saying he knew him "when he was fun", implying that he isn't anymore.

Harry used to have a distinct "party prince" reputation and Mike has done his fair share of partying in his rugby days.

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In a heartbreaking confession, Princess Kate reveals she 'couldn't read' during cancer diagnosis.

In a video that has resurfaced online this week, the royal mother-of-three spoke to a patient man at The Christie in Manchester who has been visiting the art centre for three years and opened up about how it had helped him, despite not painting previously. 

The Princess told him that she had also turned to colouring after finding it hard to focus and not being able to read books anymore. 

She said: "I don't know about you, but I didn't really have the ability to read or focus on anything. "And actually colouring was my way of exploring interesting things and being able to do something that didn't require an end product or an end finished piece. But actually just a way of playing and losing yourself, exactly, and lots of thoughts came up in that process."

After a busy royal morning, it's time for me to hand over to the lovely Isabelle Casey, who will bring you this afternoon's latest news. 

Hello! Royal watchers, it's Isabelle here!

Kicking things off today is a stylish moment from Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece who is enjoying her summer on a fabulous hen do for her close friend.

Naturally, that means we have been graced with some killer looks from the Greek royal, 29.

Her latest outfit - a casual, off-duty ensemble - was the epitome of laissez-faire, daytime holiday chic.

The outfit in question saw the royal slip on a pair of sage-green silk shorts adorned with lace trim, which perfectly accentuated her flawless suntan. She paired the shorts with an oversized white graphic T-shirt, adding a cool-girl je ne sais quoi. 

She wore her brilliant newly lengthened tresses down with a mermaid-style wave and completed her daytime look with a pair of oversized black sunglasses and a black shoulder bag from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's signature fashion label, the Row.

We were completely blown away by Andy Burnham's wife, Marie France van Heel's Victoria Beckham fashion moment on Monday.

But while we're still getting over her powder blue designer look, we couldn't unsee the incredible moment Marie France wore a royal-worthy minidress to meet Queen Elizabeth II and the then-Prince Charles - complete with a pair of killer red heels.

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Back in 2009, Marie was photographed wearing a beautiful white textured minidress, which she paired with the aforementioned rouge heels, which were complete with a strap across the top.

Over her pristine white dress, Marie added a red tweed coat, adorned with a giant red flower. Marie's look was complete with an oversized white hat and a slick of red lipstick.

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Meanwhile, the Monarch looked rather fabulous for the occasion - which was the unveiling of a statue of the Queen Mother on The Mall - wearing a beige coat complete with fur cuffs and a matching hat - its brim in the same chic fur lining. 

Princess Delphine has insisted she wasn't trying to "steal the spotlight" after wearing an eye-catching pink dress to Belgium's National Day on Tuesday. 

King Albert's daughter, who is the half-sister ofKing Philippe, attended the military parade in Brussels in a short Barbie-pink dress with dramatic shoulders, towering white heels and gloves with hearts on. 

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Her outfit received criticism from royal fans, who implied that the 'eccentric' ensemble was not appropriate for the national holiday, where typically formal dress would be expected from the royal family. 

However, Delphine defended her outfit decision in an interview with Belgian paper HLN, insisting that "pink is simply my colour". 

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Speaking of her dress, designed by Bert De Coninck, she said: "It’s not even short enough! I can still wear this now, but maybe not in a few years, when everything starts to sag."

She added: "We wanted to present something super classic this year. But look where it ended up.

"It is absolutely not my intention to steal the spotlight or take it away from someone else. Besides, everyone seeks the spotlight in their own way. King Philippe, for example, has four beautiful children. They stand out because they are truly stunning."

We are seldom not inspired by Pippa Middleton's wardrobe from her recent appearance as the Wimbledon Championships to her simply sublime Christmas ensembles she dons at the Princess of Wales' Together at Christmas Carol Concert.

While we are seriously inspired by her latest looks, her mid-20s archive is also a sartorial collection that has us taking notes from, and one look in particular has caught our attention. 

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Cast your minds back to London Fashion Week 2012; the then-29-year-old Pippa was a city girl dream, rocking a striking minidress as she sat front row during the Temperley runway show.

The future Queen's sister was proudly wearing a dress by the showcasing designer, the satin mini-dress featuring a black lace-like pattern. Pippa paired the showstopper with short heeled boots.

That's it from me! I'm passing the reins to Becky in the states!

Prince George turned 13 on July 2, and the royal family shared a sweet video to mark the celebration. 

But we couldn't help but notice a sweet moment with little brother, Prince Louis, as the eight-year-old tried to keep up with his big brother while rock climbing barefoot.

The royal family often draws comparisons of lookalike relatives, but no-one has perhaps had a more wholesome reaction than King Charles!

During a walkabout at the RHS Sandringham Flower Show on Wednesday 22 July, the royal stopped to shake hands and exchange words with royal fans gathered on the countryside grounds, at which point a royal fan pointed out the striking resemblance between Charles and the late Queen, telling the monarch: "You look so much like your mum."

The royal muffled a one-word response, appearing to take the comment well as he stopped to chat briefly. Watch the video below:

Prince George will be heading to Eton College in September, following in the footsteps of his father, Prince William, and uncle, Prince Harry.

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And in what will be good news for the 13-year-old, his beloved football will be available for him to play - despite rumors that Eton was "too posh to play soccer".

Find out which famous royal denied the claims here.

To close out today's blog, I want to direct you to this feature by our very own Emily Nash on how Prince Georg, who turned 13 on July 22, stands on the threshold of greater independence. 

"The years ahead will bring more freedom, new friendships and a growing understanding of the extraordinary role that awaits him," writes Emily.

"But behind every carefully considered step lies William and Catherine's determination to give their eldest son an upbringing rooted in stable family life, something that William himself did not always have as a child."

© Matt Porteous / Kensington Palace

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