Good luck, Will and Kate: Prince George now a 'threenager'

Prince George, the future king and world's most adored toddler, turned three on Friday, thus leaving behind the "terrible twos" and joining the ranks of the dreaded "threenagers."

As Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge are no doubt learning, "threenagers" are even more of a handful than the previously dreaded 2-year-olds.

"The threenager is that age when your 3-year-old continually acts like they are going on 13," writes Kristen Hewitt, author of the MommyInSports.com blog. "They have an attitude for miles, a stubborn streak, and want what they want ... when they want."

Hewitt's tongue-in-cheek 10 Signs You are Living with a Threenager advice on Huffington Post warns parents that kids of that age "run away from you when it’s time to get dressed, or leave a play place, or do anything they deem unnecessary. In fact, running away from you is their favorite activity. (Cardio workout?)"
She continues, "Threenagers can be tough to parent, make you weary, and zap you of all of your patience and energy. But on the flip side, this time can be so completely rewarding."

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So take heart, Will and Kate. Or better yet, post these 10 signs somewhere in the royal nursery. And brace yourself for "Fournado."

The Cambridges plan to celebrate their son's birthday privately, according to a Kensington Palace statement, so don't expect to see them out and about in public on Friday with their elder child. (Little Princess Charlotte just marked her first birthday in May.)
Still, George fans — not to mention the media — celebrated new pictures released of the little rascal, taken by photographer Matt Porteous at the Cambridge country estate Amner Hall in Norfolk in mid-July and released Friday.
A palace statement said the Cambridges released the photos to thank people for all the lovely messages they've received for George's birthday.
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Happy 3rd birthday, Prince George! See the new photos

One sign that George is growing up is that he has started accompanying his parents on official engagements, especially those that might appeal to him.
It's important training for a young royal. George, as third in line to the throne, faces a lifetime of such public appearances beyond the fun of watching royal parades from the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
Usually, such training starts early, as it did for Prince William, 34, under the tutelage of his father, Prince Charles, and his late mother, Princess Diana.

George's first engagement with his parents occurred on July 8, without advance notice, when he went along on a visit to a royal air show at a base in Gloucestershire, England. There, he got to explore the flying machines, clambering into and out of helicopters, sitting in cockpits and marching past planes lined up on runways as his parents and RAF personnel watched and grinned.
It was an early birthday present for a little boy who loves airplanes, according to his parents.
Eight days later, he got another birthday treat when he accompanied his parents on another engagement, marking the 75th anniversary of the British Secret Air Service at a SAS camp in Hereford.
No pictures were allowed (for security reasons), but the Cambridges unveiled a statue and watched a fly-by. George got to play with the children of service families, as well as inspect more flying machines, according to British media reports on their visit.