IT’S a milestone birthday for Prince George, who is entering the teen years today as he turns 13.
The eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales is also waving goodbye to his prep school and heading to start the prestigious Eton College in September.
It’s a defining move for the future king, who has been at Lambrook School in Berkshire with his siblings, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, for the past few years.
The elite all-boys Eton College – which has educated 20 Prime Ministers alongside Princes William and Harry – will see Prince George leaving home for the first time to board full-time.
However, he is expected to return to the family’s Windsor home, Forest Lodge, on set weekends.
Before this momentous change takes place, Prince William and Princess Kate have an action-packed summer in store for Prince George and their kids
After having a low-key birthday party for George, the family are expected to spend part of the summer holidays at their countryside home, Anmer Hall, on the Norfolk coast.
Here, the Waleses do sailing, swimming and picnics – far from the pomp and grandeur of extravagant royal events.
Editor-in-Chief of Majesty Magazine and royal biographer Ingrid Seward tells The Sun: “There is little doubt that an adventure trip will be in store for George.
“Like his father, he loves being outdoors doing things. Playing cricket and tennis and in the last couple of years even scuba diving.”
She adds that there could be a possible “island hop to Mustique” where the family often rent a villa on the private island.
Speaking of Prince George trying scuba-diving for the first time on a previous Mustique visit, the royal dad-of-three said he expected his son might panic.
However, George thankfully had the opposite reaction.
Speaking last year, Prince William stated: “He absolutely loved it. It’s just introduced him to the world of water, like he’d been waiting for it.”
Ingrid shared how William and Kate currently have no reason to be concerned about the teen years for George.
She adds: “Prince George has never made a public display of himself. But he is still just too young to be spotted getting into trouble.
“Like his friends, he loves football and rugby and has been lucky enough to accompany his dad to several important matches.
“That will allow him to be one of the lads and hopefully not single him out as being different from everyone else.
“Teenagers hate that, and his parents understand only too well.”
Speaking of how impeccably behaved George, Charlotte and Louis were at Trooping the Colour, the royal expert claims: “The Wales children are maturing quickly, which is not so much fun for us who enjoy their childhood antics.
“And George certainly no longer needs a nudge from his sister to remind him what to do.”
Ingrid added that football-mad Prince George, who supports Aston Villa, like his father, is “no boaster” and “keeps quiet about his privileged family life.”
She explained: “Like most teenagers, he wants to blend in with his friends and enjoy doing what they are doing.
“When dad William was 13 in the summer of 1995, he was taken white water rafting in Colorado with his mum Diana and brother Harry.
“Grandmother Carole is known for taking her elder grandchildren on one-to-one sporty trips, giving each child a special ‘just us’ experience.
“The problems of security are always there, but the police protection officers assigned to Prince George know they have to just muck in and get on with it, which they do.”
The royal expert pointed out that being second-in-line for the throne has undoubtedly given George experience well out of other kids’ reach.
Ingrid points out: “George has had flying lessons with an instructor, a hobby that eventually became a profession for his father.”
William and Kate are said to be gently preparing George for his destiny within the royal family, while still aiming to give him a down-to-earth childhood.
In fact, the Telegraph has hailed him as the “best-prepared teenage heir in history“.
A source told the publication: “No one knows better than William what life is like growing up in the Royal family.
“He is absolutely determined to get it right.”
Part of the challenge will be George being the first heir to tackle teenage years in an era of social media and cameraphones – where simply opening up Instagram gives a front row to cruel trolls and wild conspiracy theories about this family.
William recently shared their firm stance on devices, saying: “None of our children have phones, which we’re very strict about.”
At Eton, the policy for Year Nine boys, of which George will be from September, is that they are only allowed a “brick phone” for contacting parents.
As part of his exposure to royal events, George accompanied his parents to a Buckingham Palace tea party last year honouring WW2 veterans for VE Day.
Meanwhile, in December he went with his father to The Passage homeless shelter to cook and serve a special Christmas Day meal for residents.
Last month, he accompanied his mother on an official visit for the first time, to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, to mark Armed Forces Day and inspect the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
Ingrid adds: “George is of course aware of exactly who he is.
“Lambrook parents have noticed he does not push himself forward unnecessarily, but that could change.
“As a teenager he will no doubt change, but he will still be happiest outdoors and slowly gathering the confidence that will one day be important to his future.”