Prince William endures ‘nightmare’ birthday tradition for Prince George inspired by Princess Diana

Like all parents, Prince William and Princess Kate do their best to make their children’s birthdays special. However, there is one family tradition that William doesn’t really enjoy.

In the past, Kate has given insight into her family’s birthday customs – including burning the midnight oil to bake birthday cakes for young royals Prince George, Princess Charlotte and little Prince Louis. As part of these celebrations, it appears that dad William is taking on a special task – albeit without much urgency.

One of Prince George’s godmothers is none other than Julia Samuel, who was a close confidante of the late Princess Diana. She once revealed a chaotic tradition she instilled within the Wales family.

She shared: “I do to George what (Diana) did to us, which is give him impossible toys that are really loud and require a lot of crafting.

“William then has to spend days putting them together. Then he puts all the machines together, and it makes horrible horn noises and flashing lights and all that.”

While poor William struggles for days to put the delicate toys together, she says the rest of the family derives great joy from his efforts – with “cheeky” George leading the way.

Recounting the experience, she said it “made her laugh, and it made George laugh.”

Julia recalled a touching family tradition while speaking on the podcast How to Fail with Elizabeth Day, during a special 2020 episode commemorating what would have been Princess Diana’s 59th birthday. Sadly, Diana never met her grandchildren as she passed away after a car accident in Paris in August 1997, aged just 36.

Julia fondly described her godson as “amazing” and said Diana would have been in love with him too. “He’s funny, feisty and cheeky and God she (Diana) would have loved him so much,” she remarked.

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“It’s heartbreaking for all of them.”

Prince William has previously spoken about the importance of keeping his mother’s memory alive for his children, ensuring they know their late grandmother. In the 2017 ITV documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, William said: “We’ve got more pictures of her in the house now and we talk a bit about her and all that. And it’s difficult because Catherine obviously didn’t know her, so she can’t really give that level of detail.”

“So, regularly, when I put George or Charlotte to bed, I talk about her and I try to remind them that there were two grandmothers in their lives. So it’s important that they know who she was and that she existed.”

He then added a bit of humor by saying, “She would be a nightmare grandmother, a real nightmare! She would love children, but… She would probably come in at bath time, cause an incredible scene, bubbles everywhere, bath water everywhere, and then leave.”

He then added: “I want to devote as much time and effort as possible to Charlotte and George, because I realise that those early years are particularly crucial for children, and I have seen what she has done for us.”

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