Prince George of Cambridge, a future king currently living as a carefree tot in a royal palace, turns 5 years old on Sunday, giving British royal fans a chance to remember with fondness the day this much-wanted heir came into the world.
And to celebrate the occasion, George's parents, Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge, released his official birthday portrait Saturday. The picture was taken in the garden at Clarence House on July 9, following the christening of his baby brother, Prince Louis.
Prince Louis has been getting most of the attention lately, what with his christening and the usual round of celebrations surrounding that.
But George is the star of the royal show this week, as third in line to the throne behind his father, Prince William, and his grandfather, Prince Charles the Prince of Wales. He's not the oldest of Queen Elizabeth II's seven great-grandchildren, but he's the one most likely to be a king, some day in the far future.
Plus, he's undeniably cute and sometimes adorably naughty, as his public appearances attest to.
There are so many examples of cute pictures to pick from but here are five favorites:
Chattering George:
At the annual Trooping the Colour parade on June 9, Prince George and his cousin Savannah Phillips watched from the Buckingham Palace balcony, but George's chattering prompted amusing efforts by Savannah to get him to pipe down. Prince William, for one, occasionally looked exasperated at their antics.
George in charge:
It was baby sister Princess Charlotte's big day – her christening at Sandringham on July 5, 2015 – but George, strutting around the baby carriage, was the focus of all the media cameras.
George the diplomat:
George behaved with aplomb at his first official meet-and-greet, when he stayed up past bedtime to shake hands with visiting President Barack Obama at Kensington Palace on April 22, 2016.
George the would-be pilot:
The little prince is as enamored of flying machines as his dad, thus his delight at getting to explore a real helicopter at the Hamburg airport during an official visit to Germany in July 2017.
George the animal lover:
Baby royals and baby critters – put them together and you can't go wrong. For his first overseas tour with his parents Down Under in April 2014, George made his debut at his first-ever public engagements, including being introduced to a cute little marsupial named George at the Prince George Bilby Exhibit, named for the little prince. He seemed pleased but the photographers were even more delighted.
