Prince George may have inherited a double dose of artistic proclivities from his mother Kate Middleton and grandfather King Charles.
On Feb. 17, Princess Kate posted four portraits that she and her children — Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 — drew for a special activity to highlight the Shaping Us initiative from her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. An aim of the campaign from the center Princess Kate launched in 2021 is to promote the importance of creative play in child development, and the Princess of Wales did just that by drawing with her kids — and George’s work left an impression!
Kensington Palace credited the illustrations to “Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and The Princess of Wales” and viewers deduced from an ensuing Instagram carousel that the sketch of a woman sitting in an armchair (maybe Kate!) was done by Prince George. The minimalist depiction appeared to capture Kate’s essence in pen and several social media users praised George’s artistic talent in the comments section.
“George got it from his mom!” one wrote.
“It looks like Prince George has inherited King Charles’ gift for drawing,” another said.
The Princess of Wales, 43, and the King, 76, are both known for having a creative streak that they’ve pursued in different ways. Princess Kate majored in art history at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland (where she met her husband, Prince William) and has an avid photography hobby. Princess Kate has hopped behind the camera to take her children’s portraits for birthdays and other milestones since they were babies and has previously described herself as an “enthusiastic amateur photographer.”
The princess has also brought her passion for pictures to her platform as a working royal and is the patron of the National Portrait Gallery. In 2020, Princess Kate curated an emotional photo exhibit entitled “Hold Still” to capture the lives of people across the U.K. during the COVID pandemic in partnership with the renowned gallery.
The Princess of Wales recently put pen to paper on Feb. 4 for another initiative with the National Portrait Gallery. There, she joined a class of kindergarten students at the London museum for an interactive activity with Shaping Us inspiration. The princess and the kids explored the new Bobeam Tree Trail in an immersive journey through the gallery to spark social and emotional learning, checking out the first project created from the Shaping Us Framework from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
Liz Smith, director of learning and engagement at the National Portrait Gallery, tells PEOPLE that Princess Kate drew with the students during the stop,
Smith says Kate assisted the children with their portraits, sitting with them in a “cozy nook — which is our storytelling space.”
The director adds that the royal was “naturally nurturing and was listening and integrated with the group. She was one of the school party, and there was no official presentation. It was as if she was one of the mums, one of the helpers and, as you are on a school trip, you’re learning as you’re walking and making sense of the environment. It was a real treat.”
Kate Middleton at the National Portrait Gallery in London on Feb. 4, 2025.
Arthur Edwards – WPA Pool/Getty
The Princess of Wales isn’t the only family member with a knack for the arts, as King Charles is known to be a gifted artist. The sovereign is known to reach for watercolors and has brought his paint set along for royal tours all over the world through the years. Previous works by the King have sold at auction for thousands of dollars and like his grandson George, his artistic talents were evident from a young age.
In 2023, colorful portraits of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip that the future King Charles drew around age 5 or 6 hit the auction block and showed an intimate side to the family’s private life, CNN reported then.
King Charles sketches in Bhutan in 1998.
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
While fans are impressed with the latest portrait credited to Prince George, it’s not the first time that Prince William and Princess Kate have shared their son’s work. On Christmas Day in 2022, the Prince and Princess of Wales surprised followers by sharing a detailed painting of a reindeer by Prince George.
“Happy Christmas! by George,” the couple wrote on social media with a paint palette emoji.
Royal watchers soon speculated that the painting was inspired by a greeting card from Wrendale Designs, which showed a snow-covered stag with birds in similar places.
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Hannah Dale, the founder of Wrendale Designs and the artist behind the stag cards, told Hello! it was an “unexpected Christmas surprise” to see George’s picture, which was apparently inspired by her own.
“He’s obviously got talent. He has an eye for form and color,” Dale told the outlet. “I think having a love of animals and love of nature is obviously something that’s maybe captured his attention. That inspires me very much. It’s a real privilege to inspire any child to want to draw or paint. It was a really lovely compliment.”