With his blonde hair and relaxed smile, Prince George looks like a mirror image of his father, Prince William in his 13th birthday portrait.When the Prince of Wales entered his teenage years, he too was an at times shy young man navigating a gradual introduction to his royal destiny, while anticipating a huge move to secondary school at Eton College. But in reality that’s where many of the similarities between father and son aged 13 end, with William’s rollercoaster upbringing worlds away from that of his eldest son.It was back in June 1995 that William turned 13 - right at the height of his parents’ bitter split, which played out in public. He and brother Prince Harry were shuttled between living with their mother Princess Diana and father, the then Prince Charles, when they weren’t at boarding school.‌Looking back at photos from over 30 years ago, William was also regularly photographed out in public - on skiing holidays with his younger cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, heading to the gym with late mum Diana, on public duties commemorating the end of the Second World War with his father and facing banks of photographers coming to see him attend his first day at Eton.But when compared to his son George today as he becomes a teenager, the differences couldn’t be more stark. William and wife Kate have worked hard to create a stable environment for all of their children to grow up in, with school life remaining the priority and any public appearances George carefully managed.To strike this balance, we only see George, as well as Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, at the most special of royal occasions, such as Trooping the Colour.And when George has joined his parents on engagements, for example visiting RAF Coningsby last month with mum Kate, an in-house video by Kensington Palace captured the visit and posted it to social media to allow the second-in-line to the throne to avoid banks of photographers.‌But that’s not to say the importance of George’s role is not clear to him, as on royal engagements he has taken part in, you see him take his parents’ lead as he seeks to learn about what the future will hold for him.One person who has seen the marked differences in the teenage years of father and son is royal expert Jennie Bond, who was the BBC royal correspondent during William’s teenage years.She had a long chat with William’s late mother at Kensington Palace the exact month he turned 13, where the princess confided in her that at that time, the burden of future Kingship weighed heavily on William’s shoulders - although he was slowly coming to terms with his future role.‌However, she told the Mirror: “At this time in his life, William was troubled by a great deal more than just his destiny. He had witnessed and lived through the brutal breakup of his parents’ marriage; he had supported his mother through her distress, anger, and sadness.“He and Harry had become used to a rather nomadic life: sometimes with their father, sometimes with their mother and much of the time at school.“Their parents’ private lives had become public. His father had admitted adultery on national television, and there was worse to come. It was only a few months after William’s 13th birthday, during his first term at Eton, that Diana recorded her now notorious Panorama interview in which she, too, admitted adultery and poured out her heart about her life and marriage. William was mortified.”‌But Jennie added: “George may well feel the burden of Kingship on his shoulders, but he has two united and highly supportive parents who have always encouraged him to discuss his feelings and fears.“He has been brought up in a stable, loving household – not sent away to boarding school at the age of eight – with parents who have consciously and unashamedly put their children before their work at important times in their lives and during school holidays.”After the summer holidays, George will begin at Eton College, which will see him board full-time for the first time.Not only will it be a significant step for the future King, it will also be a big change for his parents and his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who all attended Lambrook School together.‌But Jennie said: “William - and Catherine - are bound to worry about their little boy as he becomes a teenager and sets off for boarding school. It’s a huge step and a big change in any family.“But William knows exactly what life is like at Eton and he knows exactly what it’s like to be an heir to the throne. There is no one better placed to help and guide George through his teenage years.‌“Diana told me the country was lucky to have William. I think George is exceptionally lucky to have the parents he has. They have given him the best, most secure start in life: he knows how much they love one another and how much they love him. He looks like a young man well equipped for this next chapter.”