Prince George turned 10 years old on Saturday, and Kensington Palace released a new portrait of the heir’s heir on Friday. This was not taken by Kate – it was yet another photoshoot by Millie Pilkington, who did most of the portraits released by KP this year. This was apparently taken at Windsor Castle, somewhere. George looks tall for his age in this photo. But it’s not some big deal, really – we’ve seen so much of the Wales kids in recent months. Anyway, I don’t have much to say other than “happy birthday, kid.” Trust that Camilla Tominey will devote three pages of chaotic rambling about the photo though. Tominey wrote a very strange piece about George’s birthday, in which she lied about the color of George’s eyes (she claimed he has blue eyes – he does not), made shady references to Charles and Diana’s separation (they all know that the Wales marriage is not what it seems) and made multiple references to Prince Harry and Archie. Some highlights:

George never had blue eyes: “As the blue eyed toddler with the determined gaze and careful smile, it seemed almost impossible that this young man would one day hold the future of the monarchy on his shoulders, however much he resembled his grandfather at the same age.

George’s quiet confidence: “Less formally, William and Kate have introduced George to public life at sporting fixtures and the odd charitable engagement. In the crowds at Wimbledon he seemed a serious little chap, but quietly confident too, and close to his siblings. While the young prince can appear less boisterous than his little brother (already a camera puller at just five) and less assured than his sister, one source told the Daily Mail: “George has turned into a confident little boy and loves meeting new people. [He doesn’t] get nervous in public and [is] already showing signs of becoming [a] great leader.”

Charles & Diana separated when William was 10: For his father, George’s landmark birthday perhaps has added poignancy. Prince William was 10 when his parents separated in 1992. Seeing his son (who enjoys as stable a home life as a little boy in the public glare could hope to have) begin to find his way in the world, he must find himself reflecting on the turbulent times he and his brother endured when their parents’ marriage fell apart. Contrast the touching family scenes that unfolded in the Royal Box at Wimbledon last Sunday with what we now know was going on behind closed doors in Kensington Palace when William was growing up, and the two future kings’ childhoods seem worlds apart….The current Prince and Princess of Wales are determined to do things differently while raising George, his eight-year-old sister Princess Charlotte and his brother Prince Louis, five.

Hands-on parents: Diana was undoubtedly a hands-on mother – but the couple have taken this further by ensuring that one of them is always around at breakfast and bedtime. “Diaries are very carefully managed to ensure that one of them is always there for the children,” confirmed one insider. “They are the ones doing the school run most days.” As one friend recently told the Mirror, this is a no-frills affair: “There are no blow-dries – it’s always hair up in a ponytail. She’s often in her gym clothes, with very little makeup, apologising as she’s late before dashing off.”

Deft Buttons: In public, the Princess deftly helps all three children behave for the cameras, distracting them with things of interest in the crowd or calming them if it overwhelms – as it did once in 2016 at the Royal Air Show, when a three-year-old Prince George had a wobble and needed his mother’s comfort. Keen to avoid the sibling rivalry that has plagued her husband’s relationship with his brother, Kate is careful to treat all her offspring equally – even though one is a future king.

The move to Windsor: Moving from the “goldfish bowl” of Kensington Palace, to Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Great Park estate has changed things considerably for the family. Originally built for Queen Adelaide in 1831, the four-bedroom home does not have any staff accommodation, so the Waleses are largely going it alone domestically. While they have retained the services of Maria Borrallo, the Spanish Norland-trained nanny who has been with them since George’s birth, their wider domestic entourage has been significantly scaled back. “It’s partly by design,” said one source. “They want the children to grow up in a family home rather than a palace.”

Another decade of keen promises: One insider said: “They are very happy right now at Windsor and for the next decade or so everything will be pretty much dictated by what is right for the children.”

Parenting in the age of social media: Another concern is protecting the children’s privacy as they grow in independence. The young William and Harry had the press and paparazzi to worry about – now it’s anyone with an iPhone. “They are in the unique situation of being famous from birth,” said one former aide. “No other royals have grown up in this environment and it’s going to be tricky to navigate. This is the one thing the royal brothers will want to converse on. Because the decisions facing William and Kate with George will soon be upon Harry and Meghan with Archie.”

George doesn’t have to be a working royal until he’s 35?? Yet the truth is none of these decisions have yet been made. It is not even certain whether George will be required to become a full-time working royal by the age of 35 or pursue his own career.

[From The Telegraph]

“There are no blow-dries – it’s always hair up in a ponytail. She’s often in her gym clothes, with very little makeup, apologising as she’s late before dashing off.” So… Kate is doing drop-offs and then she dashes off to the gym, and then what? How does she spend the rest of her day? Also, Kate and William don’t treat their kids equally. We have seen that time and time again – George gets singled out, just as William was singled out for more beneficial treatment. And WTF is this quote? “This is the one thing the royal brothers will want to converse on. Because the decisions facing William and Kate with George will soon be upon Harry and Meghan with Archie.” Like… the Sussexes live in America where they live as private citizens in a home they own, with private security they pay for. Harry’s not going to be checking in with William about “the paparazzi,” especially since the Windsors seemed especially gleeful about that paparazzi swarm (or whatever it actually was) in New York.

Photos courtesy of Millie Pilkington/Kensington Palace, Avalon Red and Cover Images.