Prince George Just Turned 13, Is Almost As Tall As Kate, and the Same Age His Dad Became the Ultimate 90s Teen Heartthrob

by · Thought Catalog
@ThePrinceandPrincessofWales/Instagram / Ken R. Goff / Hulton Royals Collection / Tim Graham / Tim Graham Photo Library / ANDREW MATTHEWS / AFP via Getty Images

Gossip

By Nicole Stawiarski

Updated 10 minutes ago, July 22, 2026

Prince George turned 13 on July 22, the same age his dad was when he arrived at Eton in 1995 and the world started crushing hard. George is set to start at Eton himself this September.

Kensington Palace marked the day with a new formal portrait by Matt Porteous, taken shortly after Trooping the Colour, showing a suited, smiling George with his hands in his pockets. William and Kate also released a short family video of him playing cricket, on a boat, and exploring during an Easter holiday in Cornwall.

Back in September 1995, a 13-year-old Prince William registered at Eton College and cameras trailed his every move. William spent his teen years as the most photographed royal heartthrob of the decade, his face on magazine covers and posters worldwide. George sat the Eton entrance exam like any other applicant with, reports say, “no special treatment.”

Eton’s newest royal pupil leads a group of fellow students across the college grounds the day after his arrival, September 7, 1995. Photo by Tim Graham / Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images.
A 13-year-old Prince William grins on registration day at Eton College, September 6, 1995. Photo by Ken R. Goff / Hulton Royals Collection via Getty Images.

His public appearances this year have been limited by design: Trooping the Colour, the Wimbledon men’s final with sister Charlotte, and Easter services. In June, he joined Kate at RAF Coningsby for an Armed Forces Day event, meeting pilots and aircraft and showing an interest in aviation that echoes his father’s RAF background. Recent footage has him nearly as tall as Kate, who is about 5’9″.

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Prince George’s official 13th birthday portrait, released by the Prince and Princess of Wales via Instagram.
The Princess of Wales arrives at Wimbledon for the men’s singles final alongside Prince George and Princess Charlotte on July 12, 2026. Photo by Andrew Matthews / AFP via Getty Images.

The family has spent the last two years navigating Kate’s cancer diagnosis, announced in March 2024, and her remission announcement in January 2025. Kate has spoken publicly about how hard the period was on the children and how she and William leaned on open, age-appropriate conversations and video calls during hospital stays to keep things steady.

George, whose full name is George Alexander Louis, is William and Kate’s eldest child and second in line to the throne after his father.

📷: The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram

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