King Charles and Princess Kate attended Trooping the Colour in London to mark the king’s birthday, while the king’s grandson Prince George appeared noticeably grown during a rare mother-son outing that included a visit to the Royal Air Force base in Lincolnshi
London was already dressed for celebration when King Charles and Princess Kate took their places at Trooping the Colour, the ceremony that marks the monarch’s birthday.
In a household that can feel carefully choreographed. one detail cut through the pageantry: Prince George. soon to be a teenager. looked “all grown up” during a rare mother-son outing with the Princess of Wales. The moment came into focus as the royal family kept its spotlight on tradition—and on a boy moving closer to the responsibilities that follow a future on the throne.
The eldest of Kate and Prince William’s three children. George recently visited the Royal Air Force’s Coningsby in Lincolnshire. England. He went to view aircraft maintained by the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. The Prince and Princess of Wales learned “about the extraordinary history of these aircraft. ” and met pilots and engineers “who keep their legacy alive. ” in a tour shared through the pair’s social media accounts alongside a video posted on June 27.
In the clips, George—who turns 13 on July 22—sat in the cockpits of different aircraft with Kate, who is 44. A photo from the visit showed George nearly the same height as his mother. Kate wore flats paired with dark trousers and a plaid blazer as they toured the military air base.
Kate’s connection to the location is long-standing. She has been the base’s royal honorary air commodore since 2023, a role that helps explain why a visit like this can feel less like a novelty and more like an extension of the royal calendar.
The timing also mattered. George took the trip while on summer break ahead of his enrollment at Eton College. a prestigious boarding school where his father—who is next in line for the throne—also attended as a teen in the 1990s. The school sits just across the river from the ancient Windsor Castle. which serves as a working royal palace. and is a short drive from George’s family home. Forest Lodge.
Right now, George attends Lambrook School, a private school in the Berkshire countryside, alongside Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8. The family’s recent public moment also carried through these shifting phases of growing up. Their most recent group outing before Trooping the Colour came on June 13. when they joined the annual Trooping the Colour military parade celebrating the official birthday of King Charles III.
After George weaved through London crowds in a carriage with his mother, he and his family of five stood on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the Royal Air Force fly-past.
Trooping the Colour returned the family to the center of national attention on a day built for ceremony. And while the occasion was about the king’s birthday. the outing around it made a different story hard to miss—one about how Princess Kate is bringing Prince George. step by step. into the rhythms of public life.
Prince George Princess Kate Trooping the Colour King Charles RAF Coningsby Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Eton College Lambrook School Armed Forces Day Buckingham Palace
Dang he really does look older. 13 already?!
I don’t even follow all this but Trooping the Colour always seems like the same photos. If George was at an RAF base does that mean he’s joining? Or is it just PR like everything else?
Wait I thought the Trooping thing was in Scotland or something. Anyway, “all grown up” is kind of weird to say about a kid. Also Kate in flats standing next to him… that’s the whole story? lol
The way they filmed him in the cockpits makes it seem like they’re already grooming him for the throne like that’s normal. People keep talking about tradition but it’s still kinda creepy, like he’s basically doing a “job shadow” too early. Also the article says Lincolnshi London?? which is not even a place, so idk how trustworthy any of it is.