Happy Birthday, George!! Prince George turns 12

Plus, The Sunday Times investigates problems at Highgrove from 8 anonymous sources

One of my favorite pictures of baby George! He only had eyes for Lupo. Kate and William’s parenting style ushered in a new modern, relaxed form of royal pictures. Credit: Jason Bell/Kensington Palace

Happy Sunday evening!! We are two sleeps away from Prince George’s birthday. I think George is a touchpoint for many royal watchers. He’s the first royal baby many of us can remember being born and now, watching grow up. His birth also became the first time William and Kate demonstrated how they would be a different kind of royal parent. Which has been interesting and exciting to watch too, as each stage of their parenting progresses with their children.

At the end of June, PEOPLE reported that Eton is the school George will attend when he turns 13. Although this hasn’t been confirmed by the palace, reports are that Eton itself is giving away the tea from how they are acting. There’s a “smugness” in their actions, PEOPLE reports. An insider shared, “It was like: 'I know something, and the people at Eton know something, but I’m not going to tell you." Registration for George would likely already have taken place, as boys must “be registered before June 30 of the school year when the boy turns 10.”

There has been a bit of a debate about whether this is really true in the past few days. Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, shared this recently. “I just have a feeling that it won’t be Eton. I wonder whether it will be too elitist or too fuddy-duddy for a future king in the 21st century. My money is on Marlborough.” Little is referencing the visit to Marlborough George made with his parents. And then Kate returned several times alone.

Absolutely adorable. Kate has a way of dressing the children that’s traditionally modern. I have always heard this collar type referred to as a “girlfriend collar”. Unexpected, it looks fresh and modern on George, with a traditional blue stripe. Credit: Chris Jackson/Kensington Palace

If Eton is announced as the choice, I think it’s more likely that location, for George, was a major factor. Eton is just a few minutes away from Adelaide Cottage. Eton will be the first time George is a boarder full-time at school. Being so close to home, I think would reassure him. Especially as the Wales children are such a close-knit family. William started boarding school at 8, a very different experience from George.

In other news this weekend, The Sunday Times has an interesting investigative piece on Highgrove and King Charles. Titled, “King Charles, the disquiet at Highgrove and the gardeners’ exodus”, it’s a deep look into the running of Highgrove. It’s noteworthy that the main reporter is Gabriel Pogrund, the Whitehall editor of The Sunday Times. Pogrund broke the “cash-for-honors” scandal among Charles’ top aides. Pogrund reports on government issues and is not a conventional royal reporter.