Prince George Gets a Taste of His Future as King During Rare Solo Outing With Parents Prince William and Kate Middleton

Prince George doesn’t make many public appearances each year, and when he does, it’s almost always with his siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in tow. But on Monday, May 5, the future King got to attend a special celebration with his parents in honor of the 80th anniversary of VE Day. While Charlotte, 10, and Louis, 7, joined the Royal Family for a parade and balcony appearance earlier Monday, only Prince George attended a tea party honoring veterans after the event.

George, who turns 12 in July, wore a smart navy suit and blue tie as he chatted with World War II veterans at the event, which was hosted by his grandpa, King Charles, and Queen Camilla. In videos shared on X by Kate Mansey, royal editor at the Times, the pre-teen leans forward to listen to the conversation as Prince William chats with a man sipping tea.

The Royal Family welcomed around 50 veterans and people who lived through World War II, along with their families and carers, to Buckingham Palace for the party. VE Day, which falls on May 8, marks the 1945 end of World War II in Europe.

Although it's not expected the Prince and Princess of Wales will regularly bring the pre-teen prince along on engagements, the historic nature of Monday's events made it a prime opportunity to give him a taste of duties as the future monarch.

Earlier Monday, the trio of Wales children watched a spectacular parade and military flypast with their parents, along with The King, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Duchess Sophie, Prince Edward and the Duke of Kent.

Prince George and his siblings looked on in awe as planes flew over the palace, and although there wasn't a similar display in 1945, the Royal Family honored the past during the event.

The King and Princess Anne both wore uniforms first seen on their family members on that historic day. King Charles followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, King George VI, who wore the same Naval Uniform No. 1 dress with no medals or decorations on VE Day 1945. Meanwhile, Anne wore the uniform of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry as worn by her mother, Queen Elizabeth, during her 1945 VE Day balcony appearance.