Kate Middleton Shares Adorable Photos of Prince George on His 6th Birthday

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On Monday, Kensington Palace released three new images of Prince George in celebration of the future king of England’s sixth birthday. Though the images are adorable their backstory may be the cutest detail of all.

“Happy Birthday Prince George,” the caption of the first image posted to Instagram read. “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to share new photographs of Prince George to mark His Royal Highness's sixth birthday.”

In a cute twist, the palace confirmed the images were taken by none other than George’s own mother, Kate Middleton.

“This photograph was taken recently in the garden of their home at Kensington Palace by The Duchess of Cambridge,” it said. “Thank you everyone for all your lovely messages!”

In the second image, Prince George stood tall in a green shirt with blue striped shorts as he adorably smiled at the camera.

And in a third image, George smiled ear-to-ear appearing to laugh at his mom as she snapped the photos.

As Travel + Leisure previously reported, the family is allegedly celebrating George’s sixth birthday together on the private island of Mustique in the Carribean. It’s not only a place William and Kate have visited many times before, but it’s also a place they can truly find privacy thanks to the island’s private security team and its location far away from the prying eyes of the public.

“It’s about as close as they can come to without going to total wilderness as they did on their honeymoon when they went to an island in the middle of nowhere,” a royal source told The Sun about why the family enjoys their time on the island so much. “To go to a place with two bars and a few other people, and not feel totally isolated Mustique is perfect.”

Roger Federer Took a Break From Wimbledon to Give Prince George a Tennis Lesson

From left: Max Mumby/Getty Images; Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

London has Wimbledon fever at the moment, and the royals are no exception. Not even the littlest ones.

Tennis star Roger Federer told The Daily Star this week that, between matches at the championship tournament, he stopped by the Cambridge family’s palace in Berkshire to give Prince George a private one-on-one lesson.

“He’s a cute boy,” Federer said in the interview. “I love to see they’re into tennis or into sport. His mum has always enjoyed tennis. I hope he’ll stay the same in a few years’ time and this is not just an in-the-moment situation.”

Related: The Blazer Meghan Markle Just Wore to Wimbledon Is 63% Off Right Now — but It's Selling Out Fast

Federer said that the lesson was pretty basic. “At that stage it’s all about touching the ball,” he said.

But even though it may not have involved an epic volley, Prince George was likely starstruck at the lesson. Federer told newspapers that the young royal told him that he was his favorite player.

But don’t think that George is just some dilettante tennis player, only interested in the game to meet celebrities. Even though he’s only five years old, the prince has been playing for years. Back in 2017, a royal tennis instructor said that George showed up on the tennis court with his mom. “She said he’s interested in it but more in whacking the ball,” coach Sam Richardson said.

Prince George apparently has no idea he’s in line to become king of the United Kingdom, so perhaps he’s nursing dreams of becoming a tennis champion.

Mum Kate Middleton has long been a tennis fan. She’s appeared at several tennis events since becoming a duchess, maintains a court at her home, and is a patron of the Lawn Tennis Association, which hosts Wimbledon every year.

All the Baby Names Kate Middleton and Prince William Have Boosted in Popularity

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This story was originally published on September 21, 2017.

Little Prince George may only be four years old, but according to the Office for National Statistics, he’s already a huge tastemaker.

The prince, who just recently had his first day of school, appears to be following in his mother’s footsteps by influencing the British people in big ways, even with just his name.

As the office recently revealed, one of the most popular baby names for 2016 in both Wales and England was indeed George, and it was no doubt inspired by the adorable royal.

According to Vogue, the moniker George appeared to plateau in the early 2000s, hovering between the 16th and 12th most popular name in the United Kingdom. However, after July 22, 2013, the day the new heir to the throne arrived, the name quickly began to rise. In 2014, Vogue noted, it made it into the top 10, in 2015 it was the fourth most popular name, and in 2016 it came in at number three.

And it’s not just George creating a rush for royal names. Little Charlotte, who will soon be a big sister, also caused a huge spike in the popularity of her classic name. Charlotte, according to one name tracking site, plummeted in popularity over the years, falling to the 25th most popular name in the United Kingdom. However in 2015, when Charlotte was born, all that changed. Now the name has skyrocketed back up to the number 12 spot.

Related: Prince William Hints Kate Middleton's Due Date Might Be 'Sooner Than You Think'

Even the names the royals simply discuss for their new heirs appear to trend, according to Vogue.

“When Kate was pregnant last time with Charlotte we had a huge surge of interest in the name Alice. So much so, that the name went from being a 50:1 outsider to the 5:2 favorite,” Katie Baylis, spokeswoman for Betfair, a bookmaker, told Vogue.

Joe Crilly, spokesperson for William Hill, another bookmaker, agreed, adding, “Most of the names towards the top of the betting are ones which have been popular the last two times around and we expect they will be again.”

So will the royal couple’s third child cause a naming trend? It’s likely, especially when you consider bookmakers are favoring more classic names like Alice, which according to the Telegraph is currently the firm favorite for a girl at 7/1 odds, while Arthur, at 10/1, is the male favorite. Other potentials to keep an eye out for — and ones that could see an upcoming bump in popularity as well — are Victoria, Alexandra, Albert, and Philip. 

How Will and Kate Plan to Make Prince George’s First Day of School 'Normal'

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This story was originally published on August 30, 2017.

No parent wants their child to feel like the odd kid out at school.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will do their best to ensure that Prince George experiences his first day of school just like any other child — with his parents dropping him off.

The royal family will accompany their son to his first day of preschool on September 7, according to The Telegraph.

Although it’s likely that George will have different presentations for show-and-tell or perhaps bring a slightly different packed lunch, the royal family is doing its best to give him a normal-ish school experience this year.

Related: All the Countries Prince George Traveled to Before His 4th Birthday

But, then again, George’s schooling won’t be all that normal. He’s signed up for Thomas’s Battersea in London, where fees cost about $21,600 per year. The Good Schools Guide described the institution as a “big, busy, slightly chaotic school for cosmopolitan parents who want their children to have the best English education money can buy.”

The decision to send George to this school echoes a choice made by Princess Diana 30 years ago. Prince William was the first British royal to attend schooling outside of the palace. It remains to be seen if Kate Middleton will take another hint from Diana and mark her children’s school events in her official royal calendar.

Nevertheless, for those visiting London and hoping for a royal spotting, Thomas’s on the South Bank is a promising new addition.

Celebrity Kids Who Have More Passport Stamps Than You Do

Princess Charlotte turned one year old May 2, marking another milestone for the royal family this year. In honor of her big day, mom Kate Middleton and dad Prince William released several photos of the tot walking with a toy stroller at her parent’s home in Norfolk. And though she was enjoying some playtime at home, the youngster has already started racking up air miles with a recent trip to the French Alps.

If her big brother Prince George is any indicator of how many passport stamps she’ll soon have, then Charlotte could be a jet-setter before her next birthday. At just six months old, George enjoyed a tropical getaway to the Caribbean island of Mustique and later joined his parents on a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand—all before he turned one.

Of course, Charlotte and George aren’t the only tots with frequent flier miles that could rival any businessman’s. Many of Hollywood’s offspring have traveled around the world before they were even out of diapers.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s daughter North has been to St. Bart’s, Mexico, Vail, New York, Thailand, and even Israel.  North’s pal Blue Ivy has traveled to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Paris, and Spain with mom Beyonce and dad Jay Z. Likewise, Suri Cruise has traveled France, Italy, Spain, and Brazil with parents Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise in her few short years on this planet.

And who could forget the Jolie-Pitt kids? Members of that six pack can check off London, Australia, the Galapagos, Turks and Caicos, Tokyo, and New Orleans—just to name a few.

So, in honor of Charlotte and her globetrotting future, we’ve rounded up the most well-traveled celebrity kids who have likely already crossed off most of your bucket list destinations.

Click through to see these jet-setting tots.