Late Princess’s playful spirit lives on through her grandson
As Prince George approaches his 12th birthday, Prince William is set to uphold a cherished — and cheekily frustrating — tradition inspired by his late mother, Princess Diana.
The future king, who often honours Diana through his charity work and parenting, continues to draw inspiration from her playful and loving approach to life. One such tradition involves the royal godmother of George, Julia Samuel — one of Diana’s closest friends — who is helping to carry forward the princess’s mischievous gift-giving legacy.
Julia revealed that she’s kept Diana’s memory alive by gifting George noisy, overly complex toys — the kind Diana famously loved to give her godchildren. While the children delight in the chaos, William is often left struggling with hours of assembly.
“I do to George what [Diana] did to us,” Julia shared during a podcast. “I give him impossible toys that are really noisy and take a lot of making. William then has to spend days putting them together, with flashing lights and awful tooting noises.”
The tradition has become a humorous yet poignant fixture in the family, sparking laughter from both Julia and George — and reminding them of Diana’s infectious energy and love of fun.
Though Diana never had the chance to meet her grandchildren, her memory continues to shape their lives in small but meaningful ways. As Julia reflected, “It’s heart-breaking because she would have loved them so much. But we keep her memory alive with all these little things.”
For Prince George, the legacy of his late grandmother isn’t just about royal history — it’s about laughter, love, and a few maddening toys that bring the whole family together.
