Prince George’s godmother has revealed the young royal’s birthday tradition that was inspired by Princess Diana.
British psychotherapist Julia Samuels, 64, struck up a close friendship with Lady Diana after meeting her at a dinner party in 1987, and is godmother to Prince George, who celebrates his 11th birthday today.
Talking about the How to Fail with Elizabeth Day Speaking on a podcast, she previously revealed she buys the “bold and cheeky” young royals “impossible” and noisy toys that take the Prince of Wales, 42, “days to put together”, in a recurring joke inspired by Diana.
Speaking about George, Julia said: “He’s amazing. He’s funny and bold and cheeky and, my God, she would have loved it. That’s heartbreaking for all of them.”
Julia followed in the footsteps of the Princess, who was godmother to her son, revealing: ‘So I do to George what she did to us, which is give him impossible toys that are really loud and take a lot of work to make.’
Prince George’s godmother has revealed the young royal’s birthday tradition that was inspired by Princess Diana (pictures of William and Diana in 1991)
The therapist, who has published two books on grief, also spoke of her memories of Princess Diana, saying: “What I felt at the time and what I feel in retrospect are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
‘At the time, I felt a little outraged by the fact that people were crying and mourning without knowing her. It didn’t make sense.
“But it didn’t take long for me to realize that people felt like they knew her, that they identified with her vulnerability. And that it was an incredible tribute.”
She revealed: ‘You never think one person can change the world and then you see someone like her.’
“By being so open, honest, vulnerable and authentic, she changed the world and certainly Britain as well. She had an absolutely lasting effect on us.
“I feel immensely proud now. In those early days, it was a visceral response, like being told: ‘Shut up.'”
Asked if she was a “good” godmother to George, she said she was “pretty good.”
Julia explained that she had a tradition going on with the Waleses, revealing: ‘I’m a bit shocked by the size of the gift that William then has to spend days preparing.
Prince George, who was born at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, in 2013, celebrates his 11th birthday today (seen with William at the FA Cup final, 2024)
British psychotherapist Julia Samuels (pictured), 64, became friends with Princess Diana after they sat next to each other at a dinner party.
“And then we put all the machinery together and you hear horrible noises, flashing lights and all that. That makes me laugh and it makes George laugh.”
Julia is one of Prince George’s seven godparents and it was an emotional tribute to William’s late mother.
She met and befriended Diana in 1987, when the two sat next to each other at a dinner party.
William is now royal patron of the charity Child Bereavement UK, of which she is a founding patron and trustee.
The charity supports families and professionals when a child dies or when a child suffers a loss.
The second in line to the throne has experienced some of the most turbulent times in recent royal history.
She suffered the deaths of her beloved great-grandparents, Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth, in April 2021 and September 2022 respectively.
George has also seen his father’s relationship with his uncle, Prince Harry, break down in recent years.
But this year has been the hardest of all. His grandfather’s cancer diagnosis in February hit the family first, while his mother’s was announced the following month.
Prince George has enjoyed several public appearances in recent times, including at the Euro 2024 final in Berlin.
Kate, 42, announced her shocking health update with an emotional video message in which she told the public she is undergoing “preventive” chemotherapy.
The Princess shared how she and William “have been doing our best to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”
This came after Kate had not been seen for weeks following major abdominal surgery at The London Clinic in January.
In a sign that his mother’s treatment is going well, George enjoyed a public outing with her at Trooping the Colour to celebrate the King’s official birthday in June.
She rode in a carriage with Kate, Charlotte and 6-year-old Louis during the procession and stood on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with her family.
Despite family struggles, George has continued to shine in all of his public appearances.
His behaviour has shown how the young Prince is well prepared for his future responsibilities as monarch.
George Alexander Louis was born at 4.24pm on 22 July 2013 at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington.
It has been the traditional choice of royal mothers since the Duchess of Gloucester gave birth to her son Alexander there in 1974.
George made his public debut in his mother’s arms the following day on the steps of Lindo’s private wing, where the world’s media had been camped outside for days.
It was the same hospital where her father, Prince William, was born 31 years earlier.
The bells of Westminster Abbey rang in celebration and a wooden and gold easel outside Buckingham Palace formally announced the birth.
While it took seven days for Charles and Princess Diana to announce William’s name, George’s name was revealed two days after his birth. He weighed 3.6kg and was born third in line to the throne.
Her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, saw her third great-grandchild for the first time at Kensington Palace on July 24.
Shortly afterwards, Kate and William took George to her family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, where they introduced him to her parents, Carole and Michael, and her siblings Pippa and James.
George went on his first royal tour at just eight months old, when his parents took him to Australia and New Zealand in April 2014.
Prince George, Prince Louis, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince William are pictured at Trooping the Colour in 2023
The following year, on 2 May 2015, Princess Charlotte was born in the same hospital as her older brother.
The youngest of the trio, Prince Louis, was also born at St Mary’s on 23 April 2018.
As he grew up, George joined his father at sporting events, including watching cricket, rugby and football.
He has been at Aston Villa’s games, the FA Cup final and England’s clash with Spain in the Euro 2024 final earlier this month.
As George approaches high school age, there has also been speculation about where he will spend his next educational stage.
Prince William attended the prestigious Eton College, while Kate went to Marlborough School in Buckinghamshire.
William and Kate visited both as they looked at options for George.
But earlier this year it emerged that the couple had added Oundle School in Peterborough to their list of options for their eldest son.
This £34,000-a-year co-educational school in north Northamptonshire dates back to 1556 but has a modern ethos, boasting on its website: “We have a responsibility to ensure that every member of the school community takes individual and collective action towards environmental sustainability.”