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Prince George Just Received His First Official Birthday Present Ahead of His Big Day

Prince George, who’s turning 5 on Sunday, is receiving a very special gift!

The Royal Mint just announced that in honor of George’s birthday on July 22, it will issue a £5 (about $6.50) commemorative coin, available to the public for purchase. The coin features an image of St. George, the patron saint of England, and a dragon. According to legend, the dragon, who lived nearby St. George’s town, would attack the locals, so St. George, a knight, tamed and killed it. The coin, also embossed with the year 2018, is part of a Royal Mint annual set called The Progress of a Prince.

The legend of St. George and the dragon has been used on royal coins for centuries, according to the Royal Mint, and deliberately invokes courage and the triumph of good over evil as a tribute to the prince on his birthday. On Prince George’s second birthday, the Royal Mint issued a similar coin. Prince George is third in line to the throne

Prince George in the Royal Christening official portraits

Prince George has had a busy summer leading up to his birthday. Just last week, he attended the christening of his little brother, Prince Louis, and stole the show with his big grin in the official portraits. And just a few weeks before, he watched from the sidelines as his dad played in a charity polo at Beaufort Park and attended Trooping the Colour. He was also a page boy at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Balmoral - a very special place

Balmoral Castle

Balmoral Castle (/bælˈmɒrəl/) is a large estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, near the village of Crathie, 6.2 miles (10 km) west of Ballater and 6.8 miles (11 km) east of Braemar.

Balmoral has been one of the residences for members of the British Royal Family since 1852, when the estate and its original castle were purchased privately by Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria. They remain as the private property of the royal family and are not the property of the Crown.

Soon after the estate was purchased by the royal family, the existing house was found to be too small and the current Balmoral Castle was commissioned. The architect was William Smith of Aberdeen, although his designs were amended by Prince Albert.

The castle is an example of Scottish baronial architecture, and is classified by Historic Scotland as a category A listed building. The new castle was completed in 1856 and the old castle demolished shortly thereafter.

The Balmoral Estate has been added to by successive members of the royal family, and now covers an area of approximately 50,000 acres (20,000 ha). It is a working estate, including grouse moors, forestry, and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer, Highland cattle, and ponies.

Architecture

Though called a castle, Balmoral's primary function is that of a country house.

It is a "typical and rather ordinary" country house from the Victorian period. The tower and "pepper pot turrets" are characteristic features of the residence's Scottish Baronial style. The seven-storey tower is an architectural feature borrowed from medieval defensive tower houses. The "pepper pot" turrets were influenced by the style of 16th-century French châteaux.
Other features of the Scottish Baronial style are the crow-stepped gables, dormer windows, and battlemented porte-cochère.

Ownership

Balmoral is a private property and, unlike the monarch's official residences, is not the property of the Crown. It originally was purchased personally by Prince Albert, rather than the queen, meaning that no revenues from the estate go to Parliament or to the public purse, as otherwise in accord with the Civil List Act 1760 would be the case for property owned outright by the monarch.

Along with Sandringham House in Norfolk, ownership of Balmoral was inherited by Edward VIII on his accession in 1936. When he abdicated later the same year, however, he retained ownership of them. A financial settlement was devised, under which Balmoral and Sandringham were purchased by Edward's brother and successor to the Crown, George VI.

Currently, the estate is still owned outright by the monarch, but, by Trustees under Deeds of Nomination and Appointment, it is managed by a trust.

Prince George is celebrating his fifth birthday on a Caribbean island

There are some major perks of being a member of the Royal Family, like getting to wear tiaras, having the world's public adore you, oh - and getting to travel to incredible places.

According to reports, the Prince William and Kate Middleton have taken their Cambridge clan on the family holiday to beat all family holidays: they've gone to the Caribbean island of Mustique.

While nothing has been confirmed by Kensington Palace - and is unlikely to be, given that the Royals' private family holidays are intended to remain just that - rumours are spreading like wildfire on Twitter that the family of five have gone to Mustique.

Hello!reports royal blogger Tea Time with the Cambridges received word that the family was spotted arriving at St Lucia airport, where they proceeded to board a private plane to an onward destination. Given Kate and William's previous love of Mustique as a holiday spot, the blogger assumed that's probably where they're off to.

If the sightings were correct, and the Duke and Duchess have taken a trip to Mustique with their three children plus Kate's family in tow, they'll be celebrating eldest son Prince George's birthday while they're out there. George turns five on July 22, and what better way to celebrate it than with a party on a Caribbean island beach.

Ahead of Prince George's fifth birthday the Royal Mint - which produces coins for the UK - revealed a commemorative coin issued in celebration of the heir-to-the-throne's half decade of life. The coin depicts St. George and the Dragon on one side, and has a portrait of Queen Elizabeth on the other. I mean, it's not exactly a toy train but I'm sure George likes it all the same.

If the Cambridges are on holiday in the Caribbean at the moment, it'll be the first time they've gone away as a family of five - as well as twelve-week-old Prince Louis' first trip abroad. Not bad for three months old - I'm in my late twenties and I can't say I've set foot in the Caribbean quite yet.

But if you're hoping for some pap shots of Princess Charlotte and Prince George building sandcastles on the beach, you'll be waiting a while. Mustique is a private island near Barbados, and it's apparently a no-fly zone. With just 100 villas for guests on the island, it's far from busy, so don't expect any sightings of the family on holiday any time soon. But that's fair enough, isn't it? They deserve some time out of the glare of the public eye.

This weekend marks Prince George's fifth birthday,
and his parents have released a new portrait of the little royal to celebrate.

Taken by royal photographer Matt Holyoak, who is also responsible for taking Prince Louis' christening photos, Prince George has been captured with the cheekiest grin. In the solo photo of Kate Middleton and Prince William's son, Prince George has the biggest smile, and poses while wearing a smart white shirt, with blue detailing, and a pair of shorts.

Holyoak has definitely captured Prince George's unique, spritely character in the shot, which oozes personality. It's also worth pointing out that Prince George is wearing the very same outfit he wore to his little brother's christening, suggesting that his birthday portrait was taken on the same day.

Kensington Palace announced the photo celebrating Prince George's birthday on Saturday, the day before George turned five, writing, "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to share a new photograph of Prince George to mark His Royal Highness’s fifth birthday tomorrow."

Also this week, Prince Charles opened a brand new exhibition at Buckingham Palace called 'Prince & Patron' in honor of his 70th birthday. The exhibition contains personal family photos, private paintings, and objects special to the Prince of Wales.

Notably, the exhibition includes a never-before-seen portrait of Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince George posing together.

Prince George of Cambridge (George Alexander Louis born 22 July 2013)
is a member of the British royal family.
He is the eldest child and elder son of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and third in the line of succession to the British throne. As he is expected to become king, his birth was widely celebrated across the Commonwealth realms. He has two younger siblings: Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Prince Louis of Cambridge. George occasionally accompanies his parents on royal tours, and has affected business and popular culture.

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