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Prince George: All of the male role models that have taken Prince Harry’s place in Prince George’s life, including Mike Tindall and James Middleton
It goes without saying preparations for when Prince George one day becomes heir to the throne and, eventually, the monarch are well underway.
But while Prince George, who is currently second in line to the British throne behind Prince William, has a close relationship with his own father, having male role models to guide him into adulthood is also important.
With his uncle Prince Harry out of his life, having left the royal family for California five years ago, it has been left to others who are within or close to the royal family to fill the void in Prince George’s life.
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Mike Tindall
Leading the charge is former England rugby player Mike Tindall, the husband of Prince William’s first cousin and confidante, Zara Tindall.
Prince William and Zara grew up together and each married their spouses in 2011.
Zara is godmother to George, and the Tindall and Wales families share a close bond.
Each are parents to three children, and the two families spend a great deal of time together.
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Around the time of Prince Archie’s birth in 2019, when Prince Harry was still part of the royal fold, Tindall revealed his and the Wales children were part of a ‘gang’ of royal youngsters that also included the children of Zara’s brother, Peter Phillips.
“Lena and, obviously, Louis are similar ages and Mia’s sort of in-between Charlotte and George,” he said.
“So, yeah, it’s going to be a good little group.”
So it is little wonder Tindall has formed a bond with George, even taking on a kind of ‘uncle’ role.
Late last year, Tindall revealed during an interview the two bond over sport, and often play rugby together.
“George loves his football,” he told The Telegraph at the time.
“I’ve played numerous times in the garden with him.”
In another interview with The Australian Women’s Weekly the previous year, he revealed the Tindall and Wales children often play games together.
“Our kids play with their kids in this competition we have,” he said.
The two have been photographed together a number of times over the years, with Tindall seen carrying a young Prince George on his shoulders a number of times.
Then in 2023, he was photographed affectionately draping an arm around George and planting a kiss on the young prince’s forehead as they walked side by side following the traditional Christmas Day church service in 2023.
The close bond between the pair is often celebrated by social media users, including The British Prince account on X, which just this month posted about their pair’s bond.
“Mike Tindall has been the uncle Prince George has needed these last five years,” the post said.
Body language expert Darren Stanton told Hello! in 2023 the two clearly had a close bond.
“[Mike is] demonstrating he has very much a hands-on sort of relationship here. It’s clear that Mike isn’t averse to getting stuck in thanks to years of playing physical sports,” he said.
“It’s in Mike’s nature to be hands-on and while it’s clear from George’s reaction here that he’s trying to play it cool, you can see he and his ‘uncle’ have a very fun dynamic between them.”
James Middleton
A much-loved male figure in Prince George’s life is his maternal uncle, James Middleton, the younger brother of the Princess of Wales.
The entire Middleton family shares an incredibly close bond, but Middleton has a special place in his heart for George, who made him an uncle.
In his 2024 memoir, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, he recalled visiting his sister and brother-in-law in Anglesey, Wales, where William was based for his job as a Royal Air Force helicopter pilot.
“I have cherished memories of visiting them with Ella [Middleton’s dog] when George was still a baby and going for bracing walks along cliff tops and across vast golden beaches with Catherine while William was at work,” he wrote in the book.
Now a father himself to son Inigo, Middleton said in the book that Prince George was among his newborn son’s first visitors.
“On the first weekend after his birth – it is hard to believe he is only two days old – my sisters and their children come to visit, and we all have lunch together at Mum and Dad’s,” he wrote.
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“They take it in turns to cuddle Inigo in their laps.
“They’ve worked out that there is a 10-year age gap between George and Inigo, and they can’t wait for him to be big enough to join in their adventures.”
Since then, many royal watchers have commented on how much Prince George looks like James Middleton.
Prince Edward
While Tindall and Middleton provide a much-needed common touch, it is his great uncle, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, who knows the royal ropes.
As the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and brother of Prince George’s grandfather, King Charles, Prince Edward is the only one of the three who grew up in palaces and therefore has a special insight into what awaits Prince George when his father, Prince William, becomes king.
With his wife, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, sharing an especially tight bond with Prince George’s sister, Princess Charlotte, it only makes sense that Prince Edward is equally close to the Wales children.
Mike Tindall hinted the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their children spent time with the Waleses during his 2019 comments about the royal gang.
“James [Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward’s son] is, well, not exactly the ring leader, but he’s the oldest,” he said at the time.
With so many male role models in Prince George’s life, it is comforting to know they are there to step in and fill the void left by Prince Harry when he walked away from the royal fold.
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