The important detail missing from Prince George's 13th birthday photo – and what it says about his future


Prince William and Kate released a very grown-up picture of their eldest son to celebrate his 13th birthday on Wednesday, but something was missing


Prince George in his 13th birthday portrait© Matt Porteous / Kensington Palace
Eleanor Dye
Eleanor DyeOnline Royal Correspondent
1 hour ago
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Prince George is 13 and officially a teenager – as signalled by Kensington Palace this week with an adorably grown-up photograph of the Prince in a suit

Prince William And Kate's oldest son looked very smart in the image taken by the family's trusted photographer Matt Porteous at Kensington Palace after last month's Trooping the Colour celebrations for King Charles's official birthday. 

The picture was captioned: "Happy 13th birthday, George!", alongside a party popper emoji. Meanwhile, a video released later on in the day of the Prince rock climbing with younger brother Prince Louis, eight, was captioned: "Thank you for all the birthday wishes for George today!"

Unlike previous years, William and Kate merely referred to their son as "George", choosing to omit his "Prince" title. 

Prince George in his 13th birthday portrait© Matt Porteous / Kensington Palace
Prince George in his 13th birthday portrait

The missing title was quickly picked up by royal fans, with one person writing: "Interesting that both posts today used "George" alone; they almost always use "Prince". 

Princess of Wales's down-to-earth moment as she skips her children's titles

In fact, the Prince and Princess of Wales often refer to their children without their titles. It creates a warm atmosphere when meeting new people, and helps give a sense of normalcy for George, Charlotte, and Louis as they're growing up. 

For example, at Wimbledon this year, Kate was captured on video introducing her children by their first names only. 

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Princess Kate clap as they attend day fourteen of the 2026 Wimbledon Tennis Championships© WireImage
Kate introduced her children without their titles at Wimbledon

As they met wheelchair tennis player Leo Charlesworth-Mark, 10, the royal could be heard asking: "What's your name?" before saying: "This is George. George, this is Leo, Charlotte, Leo."

As she met British wildcard player Arthur Fery, the Princess once again introduced her children without their titles, telling him: "This is George and Charlotte", before handing him a birthday card.

Happy birthday, Prince George!

Alongside the photo, footage of George on the beach in Cornwall was also released to celebrate the royal becoming a teenager. 

The behind-the-scenes video montage showed the prince, who turned 13 on Wednesday, clambering over the rocks barefoot with his younger brother Prince Louis, playing cricket on the sand, and waving and smiling at the camera as he sported the sunglasses he wore to Wimbledon.

WATCH: Prince George plays on the beach in 13th birthday video

Future king George is heading to a new school in September, following in his father’s footsteps by attending the prestigious Eton College, close to his Windsor home.

For now, George, Charlotte and Louis are enjoying their summer holidays away from the spotlight. 

Prince George Alexander Louis was born in the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London, at 4.24pm on July 22 2013, weighing 8lb 6oz.

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