Hello, royal watchers and those intrigued by what's going on inside the House of Windsor. This is your deep dive into royal news and analysis. Reading this online? Sign up here to get this delivered to your inbox. Any time there's a royal birthday, there's a predictable pattern: A new photo of the royal celebrating the annual milestone shows up on social media and family members chime in to offer their good wishes.So it was to be expected there'd be a new photo of Prince George as he turned 13 this past week, this one with him sporting a dark suit — without his tie — taken after Trooping the Colour last month. (There was also a short video of him frolicking on a beach during a family holiday.)What was more unusual this time around was the media flurry that surrounded the eldest child of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, becoming a teenager.This summer is a time of significant change for the second in line to the throne, as he and his family prepare for him to head off in September to Eton College, the elite boarding school his father attended a generation ago."It just seems that there's quite a bit of interest in George as he's going through this period of transition in his life," Toronto-based royal author and historian Carolyn Harris said in an interview."He's starting at Eton, and even his growth spurt, how he suddenly seems to be as tall as his parents, is attracting a great deal of attention."Happy 13th Birthday, George! 🎉 <a href="https://t.co/HjLZO3hl5Q">pic.twitter.com/HjLZO3hl5Q</a>—KensingtonRoyalWhile George's birthday has received media attention every July 22, Harris sees a notable difference this year: an increased focus on what lies ahead for the new teen."It seems his 13th birthday is receiving a lot of media coverage that's focused on the future," she said.Previous coverage of his birthday, she noted, often looked back, even as far as the "Great Kate Wait" outside the London hospital where he was born on that hot July day in 2013.Now, Harris said, the coverage is changing, with questions around "how he is maturing, how he's engaging with the wider world. What sort of a school experience is he going to have? What might his interests be beyond the influences of his family circles?"Turning 13 — and becoming a teenager — is one of the bigger milestones for any young person, George included."It's the start of his transition towards adulthood, with several key moments in the years ahead, the first of which is starting at Eton," Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert and lecturer in law at Royal Holloway, University of London, said via email.Thank you for all the birthday wishes for George today! 🎂 <a href="https://t.co/sonq5nQFfS">pic.twitter.com/sonq5nQFfS</a>—KensingtonRoyalIf George is anything like his father, Prescott suggested, he may meet lifelong friends while he's at the school just up the road from Windsor Castle."Like any 13-year-old, he will start to develop his own interests over the next few years, both academically and otherwise, such as sport, the arts or whatever it might be," Prescott said."This is all in the public interest because how he will be as King depends on his character and who he is as a person, and this will start to emerge in the years ahead."So far, however, what's emerged about George as a person has been limited and carefully curated by his parents, as they have placed a high priority on privacy for their young children.But heading off to boarding school — even one that is relatively close to home — inevitably changes the calculus of all this."It's going to be a challenging time for Prince George, [and] his parents and his school are going to be trying to create a lot of privacy, and yet the public is going to be more and more interested in how he is going to be coming of age as a public figure," Harris said.Princess Charlotte, left, and Prince George, right, make their way back to Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour in London on June 13. (Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images)For William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, Eton offered something of a refuge and protection from prying public eyes, particularly after the 1997 death of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.But that was in ways a different time, before the rise of social media and the ever-present smartphone and how that all can fuel the spread of rampant speculation.Now, Harris suggests, there is the question of "what does it mean to be directly in line for the throne in the 2020s, when some of the pressures are similar to what his father faced, but some are quite different as well."The Royal FascinatorThe apprenticeship of Prince GeorgeTHE ROYAL FASCINATORPrincess Charlotte showing more confidence in public appearancesThere is a challenge here, Prescott said, in recognizing "the genuine public interest" in George as a member of the Royal Family while also protecting his privacy.As George — and his sister, Princess Charlotte, and brother, Prince Louis — get older, they will inevitably be seen more often in public."There won't be an ‘on' switch as such," Prescott said."Depending on whatever else is happening in [George's] life, such as university or military service, he will just conduct more and more engagements. You might say that turning 13 and starting Eton is the very start of all of this."Here comes PM No. 4King Charles, right, welcomes Andy Burnham, left, during an audience on Monday at Buckingham Palace in London, where the King invited the leader of the Labour Party to become British prime minister and form a new government. (Aaron Chown/Reuters)When King Charles invited Andy Burnham to form a government on Monday, the Labour Party leader became the fourth British prime minister the monarch has seen in as many years.Given that prime ministerial turnover, a question might arise over how the monarch adjusts to seeing a new leader so regularly."Fundamentally, they have to work with whoever is in Number 10 [Downing Street] on any given day, so in that sense it doesn't change," Prescott said. "But clearly it's harder to build up an ongoing relationship if the occupant in Number 10 is always changing."Having such a turnover might also reflect on the monarchy itself."If a point to the monarchy is stability, then that comes all the more to the fore if they're appointing prime minister after prime minister," Prescott said.King Charles, left, walks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, during a Youth Opportunity Summit at St. James's Palace in London on July 15, 2025. (Aaron Chown/AFP/Getty Images)It's all quite the change from the previous reign, where Queen Elizabeth saw 15 prime ministers over her 70 years as monarch."It was long assumed that King Charles III would have far fewer prime ministers than Queen Elizabeth II," Harris said. "But it seems he's averaging a prime minister per year early in his reign."When Queen Elizabeth came to the throne in 1952, the scenario was quite different."In a sense, the Queen was this young, untested monarch and prime minister [Winston] Churchill served as a symbol of continuity from the Second World War," Harris said.Prime Minister Winston Churchill, centre, bids farewell to Queen Elizabeth, right, as she leaves 10 Downing Street in London after a dinner given by the prime minister on April 4, 1955. (STF/AFP/Getty Images)But now, with so much prime ministerial turnover, Charles's role and his visibility are "very significant as a symbol of continuity."The nature of the relationship between the monarch and any prime minister remains something of a mystery and subject to much speculation. While hints may emerge, what they say in regular audiences remains private.Still, some observations can be made."You've got a sense of the King getting on" with Burnham's immediate predecessor, Keir Starmer, Prescott said."I think we saw the King willing to push the boat out in terms of the U.S. state visit ... that he was very much eager to play his role in supporting the government, in dealing with President [Donald] Trump and perhaps did things that other monarchs may not have done."AnalysisCan the 'King of the North' fix a fractured Britain?Andy Burnham officially becomes British prime ministerAnd what of Burnham — how might this relationship between monarch and PM evolve?"It's interesting to see Andy Burnham coming from Manchester. King Charles III is … very interested in cities and urban areas and opportunities for young people, whereas previous generations of the Royal Family are very associated with country pursuits," Harris said."So he and his prime minister will find a great deal to talk about, and certainly urban renewal has been a topic that King Charles III has found interesting throughout his lifetime."There may also be common ground between the new prime minister and Prince William.WATCH | Burnham promises to end homeless people having to sleep outside:Andy Burnham becomes U.K. prime minister, pledges end to 'rough sleeping'July 20|Duration 3:20Keir Starmer resigned as the United Kingdom's prime minister on Monday, replaced by former mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham. Burnham says top priorities are helping people with the cost of living and putting an end to homeless people having to sleep outdoors.