Each week The Royalist takes a closer look at the Crown and recaps the biggest stories revolving around the Royal Family.
By George!
A royal heir turned 11 on July 22. So does that mean Prince George is now a tween?
Certainly, he’s in that transitional time and developmental stage between childhood and full-blown teenager. In Britain, in the privileged classes, age 11 often marks the end of primary school and the beginning of boarding school. And there has been talk of where and when – or even if – George will attend boarding school. (Dad’s alma mater Eton, and Mom’s Marlborough are said to be top contenders – and George has taken tours of both.) But, as of yet, there has been no decision announced, and George can technically stay where he is at his prep school Lambrook until 13.
George has had to grow up fast in many ways. Trained in the art of public appearances from his youngest days on world tours with his parents, he has stepped into the spotlight in recent years. He took a high-profile role alongside his siblings at Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee and the annual Trooping the Colour ceremonies, both of which include formal balcony appearances. Some of the outings have been sad ones, as well, including the State Funeral for his great-grandmother the late Queen and a memorial for his great-grandfather Prince Philip a year after his death. But it was at his grandfather’s Coronation that George took on his most challenging public role yet, as a page for the King during the ceremony – which was filled with ancient rituals and heavy symbolism.
George has pulled off both formal occasions and lighter-hearted public appearances with aplomb. It is a heavy burden for a young child to have to internalize complicated royal etiquette expectations. But he’s had good teachers in his father, who had a similar upbringing, and his mother, Catherine, who came into royal life as a young adult and has negotiated that particular world with grace. William did have a rougher ride as he headed into his teens, as the frenzy surrounding his parents’ divorce was played out in the tabloids. And the paparazzi hounded his mother, who no longer had many of the privacy measures afforded to working royals.
We often see George’s more relaxed and playful side when he is taken on outings to football games and concerts; remember how he danced “all night long” to Lionel Richie at the Coronation concert? A keen football fan, George has seen his share of Team GB and Aston Villa games (the latter being his and William’s favourite team). And he was appropriately star-struck at the London Taylor Swift concert with his sister Princess Charlotte recently. In all those circumstances, despite the requisite suit and tie that seems so jarring on a child his age, George has managed to show natural and joyful exuberance while listening to his favourite songs and celebrating his team’s big goals.
The Waleses have done a great job keeping a space for private family life, and protecting George and his siblings from being photographed outside of official photo ops. That measure of control looks like it has allowed George to develop a public persona, and a kind of armour to deal with the massive amount of public interest and news outlets clamouring to cover the childhood of the second in line to the throne.
Kate’s strategy of releasing a photograph, taken by herself, of each of her children on their birthdays has been a brilliant way to deal with the hunger for heir sightings. The photographs are taken in a safe space, like their home or somewhere else they feel at ease. And the snaps reveal relaxed and happy children.
As we look back at George – from a babe in arms on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital in 2013 to the famous pic of the bathrobed toddler shaking hands with Barack Obama to the adorable video of George and his siblings questioning Sir David Attenborough about animals – there have been plenty of peeks into the young royal’s ages and stages. But we won’t know much about his personality until he reaches the age of majority – or perhaps even after he finishes university and possibly military service, as is the family tradition – and enters the family business properly.
Prince William was given that time to grow and develop into an adult. For George’s sake, we hope that his continued exposure to the public eye will be managed with as much thoughtful care as it has been to date.
We were also reminded of one more fact about George’s life on his 11th birthday: this will be his last year riding in the same car or on the same plane as his father. According to royal rules, once an heir turns 12, he or she must travel separately from the other direct heirs in case of an accident – just as Charles and William have been doing for decades.
Family Finances
It is no secret the Royal Family is rich in land, castles, artwork, precious gems and historical artifacts. The complicated finances of the royals are somewhat opaque, with all those trusts and tax structures, but a couple of times a year some specific and jaw-dropping figures are released. There is the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant, which replaced the Civil List in 2012 and sets out the stipends given to working royals (determined by the sovereign). And there are the slew of royal reports released recently: the Sovereign Grant annual report, the Crown Estates report and the Royal Household expenditures list released by the National Audit Office.
These documents reveal that the Crown Estates made record profits of £1.1 billion this year. The boon will translate into an increase of £45 million to the King, and bring his Sovereign Grant to a total of £132 million next year.
Further Crown Estates profits will be set aside to cover the 10-year renovation of Buckingham Palace. We also learned the tally of official engagements undertaken by senior royals last year is 2,300. That is down from 2,700 the year before, reflecting, perhaps in part, the time off for both King Charles and the Princess of Wales due to cancer treatments.
The Duchy of Cornwall, which William inherited from his father when the latter acceded the throne, reported a “distributable surplus” of £26.3 million, which is effectively William’s salary for the year for managing the estate. The duchy has long been used to fund the official, private and charitable expenses of the household of the Prince of Wales. Established in 1337, it comprises some 130,000 acres and is worth more than US$1 billion. William does pay tax on the money he receives, but after his (unspecified) expenses have been deducted. There’s that opaque element at play once again. You can see how this is frustrating for British taxpayers; some rules do apply to royals, but then there’s the fine print.
The data on royal travel expenses was also made public, setting last year’s total at £4.2 million (up from £3.9 million the year before) – with the King and Queen’s £166,000 trip to Kenya crowned as the most expensive outing. Approximately £1 million of the royals’ travel costs went to helicopter journeys last year, and it was revealed that two new choppers (AW139s’s for aviation buffs) are currently on order. While this seems to run counter to sustainability promises and initiatives that both Charles and William have made, it was reported that the new aircraft would use sustainable fuels.
Other recent royal eco efforts include the installation of solar panels at Windsor Castle and plans to convert King Charles’s Bentleys to biofuel – plus, a massive solar power project at Sandringham is in the works.
The release of royal earnings can often generate envy and resentment from taxpayers, especially during years when the average U.K. citizen is struggling with inflation and cost of living hikes. But we can see the efforts of the environmentally-minded King and Prince of Wales to address directly the issues of consumption and climate change, in hopes that, by the time tween George takes the throne, real change will have been made.
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