Sitting second in the royal line of succession comes with a lot of responsibility and, at just 11 years old, Prince George is handling it brilliantly. He stepped up last week for the VE Day celebrations, joining his parents, The Prince and Princess of Wales, at Buckingham Palace for the Veterans Tea Party that marked the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.
Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis both stayed behind, joining the family only for the procession and flypast that honoured the celebrations. But while George was on his own for the tea party, he held his own and showed off his incredible ’empathy and confidence’ that one expert says proves how ‘resilient’ he is.
Speaking to HELLO!, Jo Frost, who is perhaps better known as Channel 4’s Supernanny, drew attention to one photo of the engagement that she says shows just how much young George is learning from his father, Prince William, when it comes to being ‘resilient’ in the face of hardship and ’emotional vulnerability.’
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The above photo in particular, Jo Frost says, shows George learning in action from his father who he is “mindfully” observing “in detail.”
Notice how he’s leaning in just like William, dropping his chin and making sure his eyes are on the person he’s listening to. He’s a spitting image of his dad here as he “listens and learns holding space [and] empathy” with the veterans he is meeting.
The expert added that George will be gaining confidence from, “The real-life immersive experience of public duty, the shadowing of an empathetic strong future king”.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Princess of Wales was also present at the engagement and gave George plenty to take note of. “Here we get to witness two parents with royal duty who have been an incredible example to their young children,” Jo says. “Already the children have experienced so much emotional vulnerability witnessing their parents through difficult circumstances and yet [they are] resilient,” she continued.
This resilience is something that woman&home‘s royal editor Emma Shacklock says is vital for George to learn at this young age, but we must also remember that he is still learning and must feel at least a little overwhelmed by important occasions like the Tea Party.
She said, “We have to remember that Prince George is still just 11 years old and so for him, an appearance like this one is still something he’ll probably be getting used to. He showed such maturity and empathy at the VE Day Tea Party and is clearly following in his parents’ footsteps and learning the royal ropes from them. This is so important for him as he prepares for his future role as King.”
(Image credit: Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
After his brilliant behaviour at the Tea Party, we got to see a more child-like side of George elsewhere during the VE Day celebrations. Standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, he could be seen playing a game of ‘guess the aircraft’ with his parents and younger brother Louis.
As the RAF flypast flew overhead, his neck was craned towards the sky as he identified the Atlas aircraft and proved that he’s inherited not only his dad’s sense of royal duty, but also his love for and knowledge of planes.
