Fun facts about Kate Middleton's adorable son Prince George – including his best-dressed nod

Prince William and Kate's adorable son Prince George is growing up to be one of our favourite young royals in the spotlight. He rarely makes official appearances but when he does, he melts hearts! George has even been granted a nod in Tatler's annual best-dressed list, alongside his mum Kate, his auntie Meghan Markle and his great-grandmother the Queen.

According to the magazine, George, whose main style staples include sweet shorts, polo shirts and knee-high socks, "flies the flag for Christopher Robin chic". We couldn't agree more! Whenever the pint-sized royal steps out in his latest outfit, it sells out within minutes. Talk about the George effect.

Every now and then, his parents William and Kate share sweet anecdotes about their children, and have previously revealed their son's favourite TV shows, toys, very royal hobbies and more.

Click through our gallery for everything you need to know about the future King…

He started school last year

The future King started 'big school' last September, enrolling at Thomas's Battersea in Wandsworth, London - the same school attended by his cousin Maud, the daughter of Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor. William dropped off George on his first day; sadly Kate was suffering from severe morning sickness and wasn't able to make the school run.

Happily, George seems to have had a successful transition into school. Attending a reception at Kensington Palace for the England Under-20 football team, William told head coach Paul Simpson that his son's first day had been a "good" one. "It went well," he said. "There was one other parent who had more of an issue with their children so I was quite pleased I wasn't the one. It was really nice actually. It's a nice school."

He's had his first skiing lessons

His family come from a family of sporty royals, and William and Kate are both avid skiers, so it's no surprise that George has already had his first lesson. The family went on their first skiing holiday in March 2016 when they travelled to the French Alps; George and Charlotte had their first taste of snow, and it was probably then that the future King learnt how to ski.

He's also learning how to play tennis

William and Kate are also keen tennis players, and their children appear to be following in their footsteps. Both George and Charlotte have had tennis lessons, with the Princess reportedly learning at the exclusive Hurlingham Club in London.

George, meanwhile, had his first experience with tennis at the family's home in Norfolk, Anmer Hall, where he grew up before moving to London.

During an engagement in her role as patron of the Lawn Tennis Association, the Duchess told retired player Greg Rusedski: "[George has] got a racket and he enjoys playing tennis." But Kate also admitted that, at his age, he just "wants to whack a ball".

Greg later revealed: "She says with George just being four, he wants to whack a ball, so she was asking what sort of stuff she should be doing. They will struggle at that age to hit a ball. She said he's interested in it, but more in whacking the ball."

And during Wimbledon 2018, William and Kate spoke to men's winner Novak Djokovic. "How are your children?" the tennis star asked, to which William replied: "Very well thanks, very well. Trying to get a tennis racket in their hand – and a football!"

He's learning how to ride

As HELLO! exclusively revealed earlier this year, George is learning how to ride and has been having lessons at Windsor. A source exclusively told us that the little boy has been practising on a Shetland pony that belongs to his father Prince William's cousin, Zara Tindall, who is a talented equestrian herself.

The insider said: "William and Kate were really keen to get George riding – it's something all the royals do and the whole family adore animals. But obviously he's only small so they didn't want to put him on a big horse. They asked Zara if they could use one of her Shetland ponies and he's been learning to ride on one of those."

He likes drawing

George the artist? The young royal appears to be following in his mum Kate's artsy footsteps. At a charity polo match in June 2018, George was seen proudly carrying around a detailed drawing of an exploding volcano, which had been carefully coloured in and featured a big sunshine, a pathway and trees. Pretty good for a four-year-old!

He has a close bond with his royal cousins

George may seem like a shy child, but when he's in the company of his family and friends, he's at his happiest. The future King has a close bond with his cousins, including Zara and Mike Tindall's daughter Mia; retired rugby star Mike has previously said the children's first meeting as babies was "carnage".

George also loves playing with Peter Phillips' daughters, Savannah and Isla. At Trooping the Colour in June 2018, George and seven-year-old Savannah were pictured larking around, with Savannah putting her hand over George's mouth in an attempt to shush him. The following day, the royal cousins again hung out at a polo match, where they were pictured playing and running around.

His favourite films

Earlier this year, Kate was overheard talking about her children's love of films. Like many youngsters his age, George is a fan of Paddington bear! During a post-BAFTAs ceremony meet and greet, Kate is reported to have told Coco director Lee Unkrich: "They are just getting into films now, George is four-and-a-half. Paddington is definitely up there, and so is Coco now." She added: "It's great obviously because of William's interest in film, it's great to have that father-son thing."

William and Kate attended a Paddington 2 event last year, and it was then that William also said of his son: "He quite likes The Lion King. We've watched that a few times. We've watched Octonauts several times. He has watched some Lego movies as well, so he's watched a lot of things like that."

He loves Fireman Sam

George is a huge fan of Fireman Sam, with William previously saying that his son has taken "an awful lot of interest" in the popular children's TV show.

Producers have even created a one-off special to celebrate the show's 30th anniversary, titled The Prince of Pontypandy, which will see a Prince visit Fireman Sam's hometown of Pontypandy, and ultimately save the day by flying a helicopter. The makers of the show confirmed that the episode will feature "a certain little royal fan" in a nod to Prince George's love of the show.

He can count to ten in Spanish

With the help of their Palencia-born nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, George and Charlotte are learning how to speak Spanish. The future King can already count up to ten!

GALLERY: Everything you need to know about Princess Charlotte

He loves being outdoors

Kate has always spoken about her happy childhood, and said she has started gardening with her children! During a visit to a primary school in London to see its new gardening campaign, the Duchess said: "I've got such fond memories of being in the garden and being outside from my own childhood, and I'm sharing that with my own children, George and Charlotte, at the moment."

When the family lived in Norfolk, Kate grew asparagus and other vegetables at home. She also kept five chickens and would pluck fresh eggs from their henhouse.

"I'm just getting into gardening with the children," she told BBC Radio 2 host Chris Evans at the Chelsea Flower Show last year.

His favourite food

Kate has previously said her daughter Charlotte loves pasta, and George is the same. The little boy is a big fan of Italian food, especially pizza and pasta.

The family also love baking, with Kate saying that having George in the kitchen often turns to "chaos". She told a group of teenagers who were making chocolate crispy cakes: "So what are you making? This smells seriously good. When I try to do this with George at home, chocolate and the golden syrup goes everywhere. He makes so much mess. It's chaos."

He also loves to make pizza

Just before going on maternity leave, Kate revealed that her children love making pizza. The Duchess was visiting St Luke's Community Centre where she helped prepare food for their upcoming Commonwealth Big Lunch.

Speaking to a member, Yolanda from Bolivia, Kate said: "I've done that with George and Charlotte – making pizza dough. They love it because they can get their hands messy." Turning to an interpreter, she continued: "I was just saying how I really enjoy making pizza dough with George and Charlotte because they like getting their hands messy."

He knows how to ride a bike

George is going through every child's rite of passage and learning how to ride a bike. Kate attended a cycling-themed festival in Luxembourg when she opened up about her kids. She spoke to professional cyclist Frank Schleck, who said: "We talked about how [the children] really appreciate riding a bike. For kids, it's great because they can exercise and – as long as it's safe – go to school without their parents. She said their kids have bikes and that they're always excited about trying to ride."

He goes mad for police cars

During an event to honour the Metropolitan Police's most outstanding officers, William was asked if his son and daughter would like to join the force. The Prince opened up about his son's passion, saying: "He is obsessed, actually, by the police…. cars, toys, everything," he said.

George actually asked for a police car last Christmas. During a trip to Denmark last year, William presented a letter to Santa Claus from his son George, which noted that the little boy had been "nice" this year and wanted a police car.

He's also a fan of helicopters

Like many youngsters his age, George is also mad for helicopters. During an engagement, Kate chatted to a young boy named Jacob about his love of planes.

His mother recalled: "[Kate] was asking about what Jacob liked and he said he liked aeroplanes and she was asking if he'd seen a Spitfire and we said we liked going to the Science Museum and RAF museum. She was saying how George likes helicopters, she was saying about the top floor of the Science Museum where the helicopters are."

During the family's royal visit to Canada, George was invited into the cockpit of a seaplane where he was given the chance – under guidance – to play with some of the controls. Shawn Stewart, the pilot who flew the royals to the base near Victoria International Airport, revealed George's passion for flying.

Shawn said: "After we landed, once the co-pilot got out, George climbed up into the seat and started playing with the controls and pretending he was flying the plane. Kate said: 'Where are you going to fly us? Are you going to fly us to Canada?' And George said: 'No I'm going to fly us to England.' George loved it. He was having fun."

He loves playtime

George is a fan of police cars, helicopters and anything that has wheels, his father William has previously revealed. During a family day out in Gloucestershire, the youngster played with his police kit, which included a pair of toy guns, walkie talkies and handcuffs. George and his mum Kate were also spotted playing with one of the most classic children's toys – a slinky!

He loves visiting the Natural History Museum

As well as the Science Museum, Kate likes to take her children to the Natural History Museum, which is just next door. The Duchess is patron of the museum and last year joined Sir David Attenborough at the unveiling of the giant 83-foot blue whale skeleton.

She gave a speech, saying: "Like many of you here tonight, I remember visiting the Natural History Museum as a child, and being inspired with a love of nature. And now, as a parent myself, I am experiencing the joy all over again with my own children, who adore coming here – and it is not just to see the T-Rex, mind you."

Kate has previously been spotted taking her son George to the Natural History Museum. She chose the venue for his first official birthday portraits, when George was sweetly pictured in the Butterfly House.

And according to Kate, the T-Rex is her little boy's favourite because it is "the noisiest and scariest" of the Jurassic creatures. She said her son "likes dinosaurs and volcanoes" because he studies them at school.

He has a favourite football team

With a dad who loves Aston Villa, it's no surprise that George and Charlotte are also Villa fans. Kate has previously revealed that her youngsters "love putting on Villa kits" and cheering on their dad's favourite football team.

He's got a great pair of lungs on him

William has never shied away from the fact that his son is boisterous. When George was born, William said he had a great pair of lungs on him already. The doting dad has since called George "noisy" and said the four-year-old likes to "charge around the house". William has also joked that he needs toothpicks to keep his eyes open!