Kate Middleton and Prince William’s New Instagram Video Contains a Subtle Nod to Prince George’s Birthday

NEED TO KNOW

• Kate Middleton and Prince William shared a social media video tied to the Big Butterfly Count, recalling the photos taken for Prince George’s first birthday

• The couple took their son to the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London ahead of his first birthday in 2014

• Prince George will celebrate his milestone 12th birthday on July 22, and a new portrait of the royal is expected to be released

Prince George didn’t appear in Kate Middleton and Prince William’s latest social media post, but the video called back to the young royal’s first birthday photos.

On July 18, the Prince and Princess of Wales’ joint social media pages on Instagram and X shared a short, serene video showing butterflies in nature. The post promoted the Big Butterfly Count, a U.K.-wide survey from the Butterfly Conservation asking residents to record how many of the insects they see in 15 minutes to help determine the health of the environment.

“Today marks the start of the #BigButterflyCount! 🦋🌿,” the video caption read. “From now until 10th August, join thousands across the U.K. in spotting and recording butterflies to help protect these vital pollinators. It only takes 15 minutes to do in any green space from your local park, garden or balcony!”

The video was reminiscent of a butterfly outing that Prince William and Princess Kate, both 43, made 11 years ago ahead of their eldest son’s first birthday. In July 2014, the couple brought Prince George to the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London, where they took family photos that were released for the youngster’s birthday on July 22.

In the snaps, taken by John Stillwell, Prince George sported blue and white overalls as he checked out the fluttering insects with his parents. At one point, George sat on mom Kate’s lap as he seemed interested in a butterfly that landed on dad William’s hand.

Another photo showed that George was walking around the exhibit unaided!

Stillwell told PEOPLE at the time that Prince George was “fascinated to see them fly but a little scared when they got a bit close to him.”

Stillwell added, “As anybody with a young toddler would be, they were very proud parents. They were very relaxed and were happy to be there, showing him around. They were showing him things, pointing things out. What stands out is how relaxed they are when they are doing something like that. There are no airs and graces.”

Sir Michael Dixon, Director of the Natural History Museum, called hosting the family “a real pleasure.”

“They seemed to enjoy their visit, wandering through the tropical plants as brightly colored butterflies took flight around them,” he said. “It was delightful to see Prince George’s first experience of the Natural History Museum, and I look forward to welcoming them again in the future.”

Prince William and Princess Kate now have three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 7 — and they traditionally release a new portrait of them for each birthday. A new photo of Prince George is expected next week when he turns 12 on July 22.

The milestone birthday may also trigger a change in royal protocol. Prince George is second in the line of succession to the throne behind his father, and in the past, royal heirs have stopped traveling by plane together at that age. The rule is an effort to secure the future of the monarchy should a tragic accident occur.

King Charles’ former pilot, Graham Laurie, previously said that Prince William stopped flying with his father after his 12th birthday.

Laurie said on A Right Royal Podcast in 2023, “Interestingly, we flew all four: the Prince [Charles], the Princess [Diana], Prince William and Prince Harry, up until Prince William was 12 years old. After that, he had to have a separate aircraft, and we could only fly all four together when they were young with the written permission of Her Majesty,” referring to then-monarch Queen Elizabeth.”

It’s unclear if Prince William and Princess Kate will follow the travel rule. They have previously ditched tradition when it comes to certain elements of raising their kids, determined to give them a normal childhood despite their royal status.

The late Queen Elizabeth reportedly voiced her concerns about Prince William piloting helicopters with his family onboard during her life. According to a 2021 report by The Sun on Sunday, the Queen was kept awake at night with worry over her grandson’s habit of flying helicopters, despite his training with the Royal Air Force.

“She knows William is a capable pilot but does not think it is worth the risk for all five of them to carry on flying together, and can’t imagine what would happen. It would spark a constitutional crisis,” the article said.

The next person in the line of succession to the throne after Prince William’s three children is Prince Harry. The Duke of Sussex, 40, stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children.

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This year marks Prince George’s last year at Lambrook School, and it’s believed that he will follow in dad Prince William’s footsteps at the Prince of Wales’ alma mater, Eton College, come 2026.

After the Prince and Princess of Wales explored a variety of options for their eldest son, a source recently told the Mail on Sunday that “all roads lead to Eton.”

Insiders say there’s a “smugness” about the pending announcement from the prestigious boys-only school, according to the report: “It was like: ‘I know something, and the people at Eton know something, but I’m not going to tell you.’ “

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