Copyright Parade
Key Points Prince George attended his first Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance with Princess Kate Middleton. George is gradually embracing royal duties, with his parents balancing normalcy and preparation. Royal experts emphasize the parental focus on stability and thoughtful public exposure for George. Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton’s eldest child, Prince George, joined his mother for a royal appearance over the weekend. Kate, 43, and George, 12, attended the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance on Saturday, November 8, at Royal Albert Hall in London. This marked George’s first time at the annual event. The mother-son duo dressed in dark, formal attire, with Kate wearing a long-sleeve black dress with a white lace collar and George sporting a suit with a striped tie. They both finished off their outfits with a red poppy in honor of military members who died in combat. Kate and George rarely step out for official events without William, 43, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7. However, they were not the only royals in attendance at the Festival of Remembrance. King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie were seated near Kate and George at the ceremony. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 George is currently second in line to the British throne after his father, William. As he gets older, George has been slowly embracing his royal destiny. Earlier this year, he joined his parents at a Buckingham Palace tea honoring World War II veterans in May. “This was the first sign of George taking on future duties,” Russell Myers of The Mirror told People in August. “Even though he is so young, he seems to have grown in confidence over the last couple of years.” For his most official royal engagement to date, Myers noted that George was “very engaged.” While William and Kate — who have been married since April 2011 — have protected their children from the scrutiny that comes with royal life, the Prince of Wales knows how important it is to prepare George for his future while maintaining his sense of childhood. “William takes his role as father of the future king as seriously as he takes his role as future king. That’s key,” royal biographer Robert Hardman told People. “His overarching priority is making sure they enjoy it rather than fear it.” Meanwhile, Kate has a “different role” in George’s upbringing, royal historian Marlene Koenig told Us Weekly in August. “She will never have a constitutional role, except as regent in a worst-case scenario, if George becomes king before 18,” Koenig explained at the time. “She is there to be the loving, supportive mom in everything George does because he is her son first and foremost.” Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith predicted “more of these kinds of encounters” for George after his May veterans tea. “It’s still early for George to be doing more, but he’s being exposed to public life in a pretty intelligent way,” Bedell Smith told Hello! in July. “They seem to be doing it all very thoughtfully.”
