By: Andrea Yan

Prince George of Cambridge, better known as George Alexander Louis, turned 9 years old last Friday. The occasion was commemorated with a photo of the Prince wearing baby blue and grinning.

The children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince George included) are generally kept away from the public. One of their only appearances in public is their annual birthday posts and important sporting events, such as the Wimbledon finals match.

However, the press got to see the children in public more as Great Britain celebrated Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, which commemorates 70 years of her rule. Prince Louis, Prince George’s younger brother, made a name for himself after making faces and even yawning throughout the ceremony.

Even though Prince George’s birthday is no small event for the royal family, there was an even bigger event that overshadowed his birthday. The BBC found that Martin Bashir, a former BBC journalist, made a “false and malicious” claim against a nanny of William and Prince Harry, which claimed that she had an affair with Princess Diana’s husband at the time, Prince Charles, and that she had an abortion. The BBC said it would pay “substantial damages” to the former nanny last Thursday.

The BBC interview aired in 1995, and the world was shocked. However, an investigation revealed that Bashir used fake documents and “deceitful behavior” in the interview. Since then, Bashir left BBC citing health reasons.

Princess Diana’s brother tweeted about the news saying “[w]hile I am delighted to see that another innocent victim of this appalling scandal is being vindicated, it’s amazing to me that no criminal charges have been levelled against those responsible, yet.”

BBC’s response to this was via a statement from their general director: “I would like to take this opportunity to apologise publicly to her [the nanny], to The Prince of Wales, and to the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex, for the way in which Princess Diana was deceived and the subsequent impact on all their lives.”

This past week was marked with celebration in two different ways for the British royal family. Life as royals can never be drama free. What excitement will the press be covering next?

Link to source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1658696249116x405933135177230850/Prince%20George%20turns%209%20with%20new%20photo%20from%20UK%20royal%20family%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf