Prince George looked poised and regal at the Trooping the Colour event today – but that's not the only reason people are talking about the young Royal's appearance.
It feels like just yesterday the world watched him make his debut on the steps of the Lindo Wing, but Prince George is quietly stepping into his own right before our eyes. Now 12 years old, the future king is carrying himself with a striking level of maturity and quiet composure at recent royal engagements – particularly during the highly-anticipated Trooping the Colour event today.
Aside from being totally poised in front of the cheering crowds, there was one specific detail that completely caught royal watchers off guard. His height!
Prince George has clearly inherited the famous Windsor, Middleton and Spencer height genes. Even though his 5'9'' mother, Princess Catherine, was wearing high heels, her pre-teen son stood almost as tall as her.
Sharing their surprise on social media, one commentator wrote: "Wow, Prince George is so tall. Princess Catherine looks beautiful as always." Another said: "The height on Prince George is just blowing my mind." Meanwhile, a third shared a shocked emoji and added: "The fact that Prince George (not yet 13) is almost as tall as his mum in heels!"
Prince George wasn't the only member of the Royal Family to have a viral moment at Trooping the Colour. The Princess of Wales was praised for her subtle nod to Princess Diana that you may have missed at first glance.
Why do we celebrate Trooping the Colour, anyway?
Back in the 17th century, battlefield communication was absolute chaos. Amid the smoke, noise, and confusion of war, a regiment's custom flag – its "Colour" – was used as a visual rallying point. If a soldier got lost, they looked for the flag. To ensure every single man recognised his unit's Colour, young officers would parade, or "troop," the flag slowly down the ranks before a battle.
In 1748, King George II decided to combine this military tradition with his official birthday celebration. He was born in November, a month notorious for terrible British weather, so he simply moved his public birthday to June to ensure better conditions for a parade. That quirk stuck, and today, Trooping the Colour serves as the official, public birthday celebration for the reigning British Sovereign, currently King Charles III.
Today, the parade is a staggering logistical feat carried out by the Household Division, the monarch's personal troops. The sheer scale of the operation is hard to overstate. It features more than 1,400 parading soldiers, 400 military musicians, and roughly 200 horses. However, the most iconic moment is watching the Red Arrows fly over London in celebration. Millions of people watch the event globally every year. It is a brilliant display of British pomp and pageantry, after all.
