Hidden Detail In Prince George's 11th Birthday Portrait Suggests King Charles Plays Favorites

Prince George is officially 11 years old, and his parents celebrated the big day with a sweet post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The Prince and Princess of Wales' joint account shared an adorable black and white photo of George, who looks all grown up now. The caption reads, "Wishing Prince George a very happy 11th birthday today!" and gives photo credit to his mother, Princess Catherine. Yet, one detail in the photo sends a subtle, yet noteworthy message about George's relationship with his grandfather, King Charles III.

Wishing Prince George a very happy 11th birthday today!

📸 The Princess of Wales, 2024 pic.twitter.com/Tybyz7Z8cs

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) July 22, 2024

George sported his Sunday best for his portrait: A black suit and a crisp white shirt sans tie. The simplicity of George's ensemble makes it easy to notice his one unique accessory, a friendship bracelet. But, there may be more than meets the eye to the armwear. Charles has also been wearing a similar bracelet during the summer of 2024. He sported his red and yellow bracelet on a trip he took to Guernsey alongside Queen Camilla last week, as well as at other public events. Princess Charlotte also wore a few of the bracelets when she appeared at Wimbledon alongside her mom. It certainly seems that Charles has matching bracelets with his grandson and granddaughter, which is an adorable gesture. Yet, showing his love for his grandkids in this way does seem to acknowledge the elephant in the room: his relationship with his other grandkids is very different.

Prince George's birthday portrait comes just a few weeks after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's youngest, Princess Lilibet, turned three. Her birthday, which took place on June 4, was seemingly snubbed by the royal family, with no one posting any public birthday wishes for the three-year-old. Since Harry and Meghan left their roles as working royals in 2020, their relationship with the rest of the royal family has been strained. Yet, the effect this has on Charles' relationship with Lilibet and her brother, Prince Archie, reportedly upsets him. "It is a great sadness to him he doesn't see more of Archie and Lilibet," royal author Ingrid Seward explained, per Sky News.

There is also a glaring comparison to be drawn between Harry's view of his relationship with his father and the king's relationship with Archie and Lilibet. Harry named his memoir "Spare," a reference to his claim that Charles once told Harry's mom, Princess Diana, that she had given him "an heir and a spare." No child wants to be considered a "spare" by their parent, and William is, of course the heir to the throne. George is now William's heir, and as such, Archie and Lilibet are less important in terms of the line of succession. This irony likely isn't lost on Harry, and further signs that Charles' bond with Prince George is much stronger than his relationship with Archie and Lilibet surely adds insult to injury.