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There’s a Royal Easter Egg in Prince George’s Birthday Portrait (& It’s So Sweet)

I almost missed it

Prince George Wimbledon CAT2
Karwai Tang/WireImage

Earlier this morning, Kate Middleton, 42, and Prince William, 42, posted a brand-new portrait of their eldest son, Prince George, in honor of his special day. In the black-and-white photo (taken by Princess Catherine herself), the birthday boy is all smiles as he dons a dark blazer, a white collared shirt and pants. The new image was posted on the official Prince and Princess of Wales’ joint Instagram page. However, the same—but slightly larger and uncropped—image was posted on the royal duo’s Instagram stories and here’s where it gets interesting. 

Prince George 11th Birthday Portrait CAT
Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram

In the slightly larger image, we see that aside from his dapper attire, the future monarch wore a string bracelet on his wrist. But it isn’t just any bracelet—it’s the same friendship bracelet his younger sister, Princess Charlotte, and his grandfather, King Charles, have been spotted wearing recently. 

Many eagle-eyed royal fans have speculated that the friendship bracelets are a nod to none other than Taylor Swift. Giving friendship bracelets has become a fun tradition for Swifties to bond with one another, surging in popularity on the singer’s Eras Tour. In fact, the iconic friendship bracelet also played an interesting role in Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s relationship.

In an episode of his podcast series, New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, the 34-year-old NFL player revealed that he attempted to give his current girlfriends a friendship bracelet and his phone number at one of her concert stops. But the plan didn’t pan out like he hoped. 

Travis Kelce Taylor Swift CAT
Patrick Smith/Getty Images

“I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings,” he told his brother Jason, who is a co-host on the pod. “So I was a little butthurt. I didn't get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her.” 

So, does the string bracelet mean that the royals are major Swifties? Or is it a family symbol of some sort? We'll be keeping an eye out to find out more! 


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Assistant Editor, News And Entertainment

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