During his young life, Prince George has marked many key milestones in front of the press and public in a way that has seen the young royal develop from a royal baby to an increasingly confident young man.
Third in line to the British throne after his father, Prince William, and his grandfather, Prince Charles, George was born in a London hospital on July 22, 2013.
Since his arrival, there has been intense media interest in the young prince who will one day be king and who has slowly been introduced more and more into public life by his parents.
As George celebrates his ninth birthday, Newsweek charts the first years of his life in the royal spotlight.
Public Debut
George's first public photos were taken on July 23, 2013, a day after his birth.
Proud parents Prince William and Kate Middleton took part in the tradition of posing for the press with their new royal baby on the steps of the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in London.
In1982, Prince Charles and Princess Diana introduced William to the public on those steps in the very same way.
Christening
The christening for the new addition to the Cambridge family was held at the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace and was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, as well as close members of the royal family.
George has seven godparents, including royal cousin Zara Tindall, family friend the Duke of Grosvenor and Princess Diana's confidant Julia Samuel.
Baby's First Tour
When he was nine months old, George took part in his first overseas royal tour when he accompanied his parents to Australia and New Zealand.
The 17-day tour saw the prince make a number of public appearances, including a play date with other infants in New Zealand and visiting Sydney's Taronga Zoo.
First Birthday
The prince's first birthday was marked with the release of an official photograph taken during a visit to the Natural History Museum with his parents in London.
Welcoming a Little Sister
On May 2, 2015, William and Kate welcomed their second child, a baby daughter whom they named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana in honor of the queen and her late-grandmother the Princess of Wales.
As a newly-appointed older brother, George went to meet his sister in hospital the day she arrived and was photographed outside the hospital with William wearing matching blue sweaters.
On The Balcony
George's first Buckingham Palace balcony appearance was made during the 2015 Trooping the Colour celebrations marking the queen's official birthday.
George appeared wearing a pale blue vintage inspired outfit which was similar to those favored by Princess Diana and worn by Prince William in the 1980s.
Ski Trip
The Cambridge family published photographs taken during a skiing holiday to the French Alps in March 2016 giving the public their first glimpse of the royal children enjoying the snow.
Meeting President Obama
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama visited Kensington Palace in 2016 to have dinner with the Cambridges.
The Obamas were hosted at the palace during their visit to Britain ahead of his leaving office and during their time with the Cambridges, they were introduced to George.
The prince was photographed meeting his first president in the drawing room of the Cambridge apartment while wearing a plush personalized dressing gown and playing with a rocking horse.
Cambridge Family in Canada
For their first official royal tour as a family of four, the Cambridges went to Canada, a country William and Kate had first traveled to together following their April 2011 wedding.
On arrival on Vancouver Island, William, Kate, George and Charlotte were greeted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and during the tour the royals took part in a special party for children of military personnel on the island.
Princely Pageboy For Aunty Pippa
George reached another royal milestone on May 20, 2017, when he played the role of pageboy for the first time.
Wearing a sage green ensemble, the young royal joined his sister, Charlotte, and a group of other small children to watch their aunt, Pippa Middleton, marry financier James Matthews at St. Mark's Church in Berkshire.
First Day at School
George marked his first day at school in 2017 where he was dropped off by William while Kate was heavily pregnant with the couple's third child.
George's school is located in London, a short distance from the Cambridge family home at Kensington Palace.
A Younger Brother
Prince Louis, William and Kate's third child, was born on April 23, 2018. The new prince was introduced to his siblings before being shown off to the public outside St. Mary's Hospital the same day.
William took George and Charlotte to meet their brother once George had finished school.
Uncle Harry's Wedding
George played a touching role on the day of his uncle Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018 where he was asked to be a pageboy dressed in a replica of the uniform worn by the groom.
George attended the wedding alongside Charlotte, who was a flower girl and the Cambridge family were photographed together after the wedding ceremony on the steps of St. George's Chapel.
Clap for the NHS
During the COVD-19 pandemic in Britain, each week members of the public would stand outside their homes at 8 p.m. once a week and give a united round of applause for the key workers of the National Health Service (NHS) who were working on the front lines helping people infected with the virus.
As part of the BBC charity event Children in Need, Prince George alongside his siblings and parents were photographed taking part in this tribute shared by many around the country.
Remembering Prince Philip
One of the most poignant royal milestones that George has undertaken in 2022 was attending his first public memorial service, honoring his late great-grandfather Prince Philip, at Westminster Abbey.
Joined by his sister Charlotte, the event was also the prince's first public visit to Westminster Abbey, the space where he will one day have his coronation.
Platinum Jubilee
The prince took part in the historic celebrations marking the queen's Platinum Jubilee as she became the first monarch in British history to have reigned for more than 70 years.
George made his first appearance during the four days of celebrations at the Trooping the Colour ceremony where he took part in a carriage procession along The Mall. The young royal also made two balcony appearances as well as attending a pop concert outside Buckingham Palace and the jubilee pageant.
First Visit to Wales
During the jubilee, George paid an important visit to Wales. The visit was significant because it marked his first to the country where he will one day hold the title Prince of Wales.
During the visit, George was guided by his father who helped his son make small talk with members of the public on a traditional royal walkabout.
Wimbledon
As a special royal treat, Prince George made his first official visit to a Wimbledon championship finals match in July with his parents.
Kate Middleton is the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club and presented the trophy to the winner of the men's singles final, Novak Djokovic.
George was filmed after the match meeting the tennis star who let the young royal hold the famous Wimbledon trophy with Prince William joking: "don't drop it!"
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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