Prince George’s godmother has revealed the young royal’s birthday tradition that Princess Diana inspired.
British psychotherapist Julia Samuels, 64, formed 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.
Speaking on the How to Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast, she previously revealed that she buys the ‘feisty and cheeky’ young royal ‘impossible’ noisy toys that take the Prince of Wales, 42, ‘days to put together’ in a running joke inspired by Diana.
In conversation about George, Julia said: ‘He is amazing. He’s funny and feisty and cheeky and God she [Diana] would have loved him so much. That is 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 impossible toys which are really noisy, take a lot of making.’
The therapist, who has published two books about grief, also discussed her memories of Princess Diana, saying: ‘At the time and what I feel about that in retrospect are at the opposite ends of the spectrum.
‘At the time, I sort of felt outraged that people were crying and wailing when they never met her. It didn’t make sense.
‘But it didn’t take me long to realise that people felt they knew her, her vulnerability they connected with. And that it was an amazing tribute.’
She revealed: ‘You never think one person can change the world and then you see someone like her.’
‘By being as open and honest and vulnerable and authentic as she was, it changed the world and it certainly changed Great Britain. She had an absolutely lasting effect on us.
‘Now, I feel immensely proud. In those first days, it was a visceral response, it was like, shut up.’
After being asked if she was a ‘good’ godmother to George, she said she was ‘pretty good’.
Julia explained that she had an on-going tradition with the Wales’s, revealing: ‘I come in slightly tipped by the size of the present that William then has to spend days putting together.
‘And then put all the machinery together and it makes awful tooting noises and lights flashing and all of that. That makes me laugh and it makes George laugh.’
Julia is one of seven godparents for Prince George and was a poignant acknowledgement of William’s late mother.
She met and became friends with 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 founder patron and trustee.
The charity supports families and professionals when a child dies or when a child suffers a bereavement.
The second in line to the throne has lived through some of the most turbulent times in recent royal history.
He endured the death of his beloved great-grandparents Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth in April 2021 and September 2022 respectively.
George has also seen the breakdown of his father’s relationship with his uncle Prince Harry in recent years.
But this year has been the hardest of all. His grandfather’s cancer diagnosis in February hit the family first, whilst his mother’s was announced the following month.
Kate, 42, announced her shocking health update with an emotional video message telling the public how she is undergoing ‘preventative’ chemotherapy.
The Princess shared how she and William ‘have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family’.
It 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 mark the King’s official birthday in June.
He rode in a carriage with Kate, Charlotte and 6-year-old Louis during the procession and stood on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with his family.
Despite the family struggles, George has continued to shine at all his public appearances.
His demeanor has demonstrated how the young Prince is being well prepared for his future responsibilities as monarch.
George Alexander Louis was born at 4.24pm on July 22,2013 at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington.
It has been the traditional choice for royal mothers since the Duchess of Gloucester gave birth to son Alexander there in 1974.
George made his public debut in his mother’s arms the following day on the steps of the private Lindo wing, where the world’s media had been camped outside for days.
It was the same hospital that his father, Prince William, was born at 31 years earlier.
The bells of Westminster Abbey rang out in celebration and a wood-and-gold easel outside Buckingham Palace formally announced the birth.
While it had taken seven days for Charles and Princess Diana to announce William’s name, George’s was revealed two days after his birth. Weighing 8lb 6oz, he was born third in line to the throne.
His 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 he was introduced 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 and New Zealand in April 2014.
The following year, on May 2, 2015, Princess Charlotte born in the same hospital as her older brother.
The youngest of the trio, Prince Louis, was also born at St Mary’s on April 23, 2018.
As he has gotten older, George has joined his father at sporting events, including watching the cricket, rugby and football.
He has been to Aston Villa matches, the FA Cup final and England’s clash with Spain in the Euro 2024 final earlier this month.
As George approaches secondary school age, there has also been speculation over where he will spend his next stage of education.
Prince William attended the prestigious Eton College while Kate went to Marlborough School in Buckinghamshire.
William and Kate visited both as they looked into options for George.
But it emerged earlier this year that the couple had added Oundle School in Peterborough to their list of options for their eldest son.
The £34,000-a-year co-educational school in north Northamptonshire dates from 1556 but has a modern ethos, boasting on its website: ‘We have a responsibility to ensure that every single member of the school community takes both individual and collective action towards environmental sustainability.’