He may be nearly a teenager and heading off to secondary school, but Prince George was once the cutest little prince in gingham pajamas. In a memorable meeting between the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, and President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, Prince George snuck out past his bedtime to meet the historic president.
President Obama and his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, visited the UK during their final year in office to celebrate the strong relationship between the US and the UK. Among the special events included in the trip was a private dinner at Kensington Palace, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s family home at the time. President Obama’s photographer, Pete Souza, was on-hand to document the evening and the adorable, unexpected meeting of icons. Years later, Souza has revealed what it was like behind palace walls documenting that historic bedtime routine.
“Ten years ago today, President Obama met Prince George at Kensington Palace in London,” Pete Souza wrote on Instagram on April 22. The Obamas famously gifted the little prince a beautifully carved and painted rocking horse, which Prince George cheerfully tried out for the President and First Lady. “Many thanks to the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for allowing me access to capture these moments.”
Princess Charlotte was still an infant, and likely had an earlier bedtime than her brother, who was allowed to stay up late for the special visit. Dressed in a gingham-trimmed bathrobe, blue gingham pajamas, and navy slippers with red embroidered London buses, the little prince delighted everyone in the room—and around the world.
Pete Souza confirmed the delightfulness in his post, sharing Prince George’s darling farewell. Souza wrote, “Later, when his nanny was carrying him to his bedroom, Prince George in his delightful British accent said to me, ‘Thank you very much’.”
