What You Never Knew About Prince George

As the oldest son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, there has always been a lot of interest in Prince George, from the time he arrived on this planet on July 22, 2013. George's birth was met with a tsunami of public attention. As History.com noted, reporters camped outside the hospital where George was born for hours ahead of his arrival, hoping to get exclusive photos or information, and the public spent approximately $300 million buying products and memorabilia associated with the young boy.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have thus far done an admirable job of keeping Prince George and his siblings out of the media spotlight. The pair have shared some stories about their oldest child through the years, such as when Kate Middleton opened up in the documentary "Our Queen at Ninety" about the relationship George had with Queen Elizabeth. She said, "George is only two-and-a-half and he calls her 'Gan-Gan.' She always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay and that just shows her love for her family" (via Hello! Magazine).

However, there is still a lot that we don't know about Prince George. Here are a few facts about the boy who is second in line to the throne.

As the firstborn son of the Prince and Princess of Wales and the second in line to the throne, it makes sense that Prince George has been joining his parents on royal tours from a very young age — nine months old, to be exact. 

George's appearance on the tour was exciting to royal enthusiasts, especially as he hadn't been seen very frequently since his birth. Several photographs of George were shared in Vanity Fair during the days of the tour, and it was clear that he simply delighted in behaving much as babies his age should. George was also introduced to a bilby while visiting the zoo in Sydney, Australia, prompting his mother to speculate that he was attempting to grab at the marsupial's ear (per People).

Since then, George has made several official royal appearances, and joined his parents and younger sister Princess Charlotte on a tour of Canada in 2016 (via The Globe and Mail), which was followed by a visit to Poland and Germany in 2017 (per Town & Country).

While several members of the royal family boast impressive net worths, Prince George has one that tops most of them: He's estimated be worth at least $3 billion. That's a significant sum for a person so young. Unlike the adult members of the royal family, George's net worth is based on the value he brings to the economy of Britain and the United Kingdom. As explained by Reader's Digest, George and his siblings are each able to drive aspects of the economy all on their own.

It seems that coming up with George's net worth might also be based on an understanding of his impact on the economy of the world at large. As The Express noted, "The eldest Cambridge child's net worth is a result of the global effect George has and will continue to have on the economy — particularly when it comes to fashion." The outlet goes on to note that George, like his siblings Charlotte and Louis, receives a lot of attention for the clothes he wears and how he carries himself, all of which contribute to his appeal to the public and his economic value.

As the heir to the throne, Prince George has a lot of support around him. That support includes his immediate family as well as his extended relatives, and also includes the seven godparents who were named after he was born. George's godparents were named at his christening, and each were given the expectation that they will help steer the young boy toward adulthood.

These godparents are Mr. Oliver Baker, Mrs. David Jardine-Paterson, Earl Grosvenor, Mr. Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, The Hon. Mrs. Michael Samuel, Mrs. Michael Tindall, and Mr. William van Cutsem (via the Royal Family). As reported by Hello! Magazine, the Prince and Princess of Wales broke with royal tradition and chose their friends as godparents instead of older relatives. Several of the friends chosen went to college with both the Prince and Princess, and thus have known the pair for quite some time. 

In 2018, Prince William revealed that this then-five-year-old son Prince George had begun ballet classes and that the little boy was very happy about doing so. While speaking to Junior, a break dancer who is an anti-bullying advocate, William explained that George's passion for dance was particularly emotional and personal. He said, "My mother always used to dance, she loved dancing. And if it's something you love, you do what you love. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. Keep at it" (via People).

George was able to pursue ballet at his previous school, Thomas's Battersea, which offers weekly 35-minute ballet lessons to pupils in year one. As noted by People, the class followed the Royal Academy of Dance Pre-Primary in Dance syllabus.

Not everyone was supportive of the fact that George was taking ballet lessons when the news came out. Good Morning America's Lara Spencer came under fire after she laughed about the news and commented, "I have news for you Prince William, we'll see how long that lasts." Spencer later apologized for her remark (per Town & Country Magazine).

In October 2018, the Princess of Wales opened up about an activity she and her kids love to do together: spider hunting! While visiting the Paddington Recreation Ground, Princess Catherine revealed that she and Prince George and Princess Charlotte can spend "hours" looking for spiders together in their own garden. If the activity sounds refreshingly low key and "normal," that's because the Princess of Wales has prioritized making sure her children experience a plethora of outings and activities that aren't just related to being members of the royal family (per Harper's Bazaar).

Catherine didn't offer any additional details about what these spider hunts are like, but there have been numerous stories about other outings she has taken Prince George on. For example, she's been fond of taking the kids back-to-school shopping (via Harper's Bazaar) and has been spotted with the kids at the park — like any other family (per Marie Claire).

Like a lot of kids, Prince George has also gone through a period of being obsessed with farming equipment. In 2019, Prince William revealed that George was particularly infatuated with tractors. While being interviewed for the documentary "Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall," which is about the largest estate of land and private property that William inherited from his father upon King Charles' ascension to the throne, William noted that his oldest son should have been part of the interview experience. He explained, "I should have brought George today; he would be absolutely loving this ... He's obsessed" (via Harper's Bazaar).

William went on to add that a love of the outdoors is shared by all three of his children. As he put it, "My children are already, y'know, playing on the tractors ... it's so important to get outside, and have the children understand nature." 

The Prince and Princess of Wales have spoken about how active Prince George is for most of his life. In a 2015 visit with England's women's soccer team following the birth of Princess Charlotte, Prince William revealed that the family of four were struggling with sleep deprivation and a very active then-22-month-old Prince George. As team captain Steph Houghton told People, "All the girls were asking how Princess Charlotte is and Prince George and whether they keep him up all night." Houghton added that William admitted Charlotte wasn't sleeping well and had kept him and Princess Catherine up most nights, and then that George "never stops moving."

Another player, Jill Scott, continued, "He said he'd had a few sleepless nights. The baby will be up and George is running around now isn't he? It reflects that he does a normal life away from his duty as prince" (per People).

A few months later William echoed this thought during an interview with the BBC. When asked about George, William said, "He's a little monkey."

Like his grandfather and father before him, Prince George is very concerned about climate change and its impact on the world we all live on. In a 2021 interview with the BBC's program "Newscast," Prince William opened up about an experience George had while picking up litter with his school. William explained, "George at school recently has been doing litter picking and I didn't realize, but talking to him the other day, he was already showing that he was getting a bit confused and a bit sort of annoyed by the fact they went out litter picking one day and then the very next day, they did the same route, same time and pretty much all the same litter they picked up [was] back again" (via Hello! Magazine).

William went on to add that for his son, the frustration seemed to stem from not understanding how new litter and trash had already lined the route the group had cleaned, especially since the boy and his classmates had cleaned the same area only the day before. In the same interview, William also credited his father with speaking about climate change well before many people were willing to do so, and added that it would be a "disaster" for him if George ends up repeating the same concerns and worries King Charles has had without any work having been done to mitigate them.