Prince George's art to feature in edition of Country Life guest edited by Prince of Wales

Prince George has shown off his artistic flair with a detailed drawing of a kingfisher, which takes pride of place in this week’s Country Life special.

The 13-year-old royal’s colourful kingfisher has been included in the magazine’s bumper 300-page issue, which his father Prince William has spent the past six months putting together as a guest editor.

The young prince, who is said to love drawing, created his feathered masterpiece at home in the spring, when he was still 12.

In 2025, Kate and her three children shared a series of portrait sketches they had drawn of one another during a family art session.

The four pictures, produced using everything from charcoal to ink, were released without revealing which budding artist was responsible for each one.

Prince George with the Princess of Wales

Adrian Dennis/Press Association

Readers will have to wait a little longer to discover exactly what she has to say, however, with the gold-embossed collectors’ edition going on sale on Wednesday.

William also offers a glimpse into life away from royal duties, revealing how George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis enjoy getting outdoors and exploring on family walks with their dogs, Orla and Otto.

He recalls his own childhood at Highgrove, the King’s Gloucestershire retreat, where he had to be careful not to throw open the curtains before getting dressed because the gardens were often already full of visitors.

The future king also admitted he enjoys nothing better than a trip to the pub for a good chat and a pint of cider with ice.

He admits his support for his “second family” Aston Villa, has become “fanatical”.

Villa manager Unai Emery features in the magazine talking about leadership, and also discusses the importance of William’s support for the club.

“It’s fantastic for us. If we can give him good news, good results or good moments in football, we are proud of it,” Emery says in a video released to mark the publication.

William, a major landowner through his Duchy of Cornwall estate, opens up about his commitment to the countryside.

The drawing of the kingfisher will feature in an edition of Country Life

Kensington Palace/Press Association

In the magazine’s leader column, he writes: “The places you love best are not the ones you preserve unchanged, but the ones you keep quietly improving.

“One day, George, Charlotte and Louis may ask me what I did to help communities thrive… we didn’t simply imagine a better future, we helped build it, so that someone else could build further still.”

He sets out his countryside champions, choosing wildlife rangers and curlew conservationists, as well as Groove Armada star Andy Cato, who is now a regenerative farmer, and next generation farming students who studied at Duchy College in Cornwall.

The prince also shares his weakness for chocolate biscuit cake, first served to him by his grandmother the Queen.

William chose the no-bake treat as his wedding cake when he and Kate married in 2011.

The future head of the armed forces uses the magazine to set out his drive to make sure women in the military feel safe, respected and valued.

Behind the scenes over the past year, the heir to the throne has been on a fact-finding mission, carrying out private and public meetings with servicewomen of all ranks from the Royal Navy, the RAF and the Army as a priority, to learn first hand about their experiences.

Mark Hedges, Country Life’s editor-in-chief, described the prince as a “formidable, hands-on guest editor”.

William is the latest member of the royal family to edit the publication, after the King, Queen Camilla and the Princess Royal.