Prince William is a proud dad, so let him brag on his eldest, Prince George, for a moment: apparently the future king (George, in this case) is, you know, casually doing triathlons now.
That’s according to William, who returned from break and made his first public appearance following some time off for George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis’ half-term break from Lambrook School. This week, William held an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on behalf of King Charles (who was in Kenya), and handed out honors to recipients like former British triathlete Non Stanford, who was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at the event.
“He was telling me how George has been doing triathlon at school,” Stanford said, according to PA. “There is also a gentleman who now works for William [who] has done a bit of triathlon and has been giving George advice about putting talcum powder in his shoes. George has been sharing his talc with his classmates, and they are all excited about these tips.” (Speaking of “tips”—at school, George’s nickname is “PG Tips,” off of the U.K. brand of tea—“PG,” of course, standing for Prince George.)
His parents, William and Kate, are both lovers of sport, and George is a natural athlete, excelling in rugby and soccer, for starters. “What I think is really interesting is that they are all obviously very different temperaments,” Kate said on an episode of cousin-in-law Mike Tindall’s podcast “The Good, The Bad & The Rugby.” “They are growing and trying out different sports.” She added “They’re obviously still really young. It’s going to be interesting to see how that grows and develops.”
British children’s wear designer Amaia Arrieta has designed clothes for the Wales trio for years and said that George is “really sporty”: “It’s something that’s been encouraged from an early age,” she told People.
In addition to playing sports, George is also a big fan of sports, and took his first official visit out of the country for a sporting event last month, joining his father for the Rugby World Cup in Marseille, France. His advancing maturity was evident, body language expert Judi James told OK: “When George was younger it often took a small nudge or touch on the back to encourage him to step forward and shake hands on royal visits, but he’s now adopted a much more confident, assertive style and instead of waiting his turn,” she said. “He will often be preemptive by stepping up to instigate the greeting ritual, gradually evolving from the small boy who is waiting to perform body language that he has been carefully coached for to a young prince who is beginning to see his ability to put the people he is meeting at ease in the same way that his grandmother and father famously did [and] do.”
George met World Rugby chairperson Bill Beaumont at the Rugby World Cup, and James said George’s mannerisms reminded her of William. “His grip now looks relatively firm, with the entire palm extended, and he uses eye contact and engages in small talk,” James said. “For a rather shy boy, he is showing so many of his father’s body language traits as he begins to move toward his teenage years. William has been so careful to act as George’s mentor, and the way his son now mirrors him, not just with his body language but with his preferred choice of clothing, shows how close the pair are and how much George sees his dad as something of his hero.”
Consider it a mutual admiration society, as William was happy to brag on his son—a proud dad, indeed.
