Prince William and Duchess Kate to Keep Prince George Out of Spotlight After Online Abuse, Says Expert

Royal fans were thrilled when Prince William and Duchess Kate (née Middleton) brought their eldest child, Prince George, to the European Championship soccer final between England and Italy. But the couple is reportedly considering keeping the nearly 8-year-old out of the spotlight, after he was the subject of horrific online abuse.

Trolls took to mocking George for wearing a dapper suit and tie, which was required dressing for the soccer federation’s box that he was seated in. He was also called terrible names and told to “cry into your tie” after England lost.

William, 39, and Kate, also 39, have always been guarded with their children, who in addition to George include Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The couple bring them to public events on very rare occasions. While the kids appear at official royal events like Trooping the Color, it was a treat to see George at Wembley Stadium gleefully cheering on England with the rest of the fans.

Royal expert and author Robert Jobson believes that William and Kate are going to curtail George’s appearances to help shield him from the online abuse that the child received. “With George, he got quite a lot of social media attention. Some were critical about him wearing a shirt and tie like his dad, which I thought was very harsh,” Robert told Australia’s Sunrise TV show.

“He has been very popular, but I think they are going to try and keep him out of the limelight a little bit …They are very conscious of that,” he added. A rep for Kensington Palace had no comment when reached by Closer.

William and Kate originally brought their soccer-loving son to watch England defeat Germany on June 29, securing the Three Lions a spot in the quarterfinals. The team made it all the way to the Championship match on July 11, only to lose to Italy in penalty kicks, following a 1-1 tie and two overtimes. George adorably cheered and hugged both of his parents when England scored and was comforted by them when the team was defeated.

Hopefully, the haters won’t deter the family from releasing a birthday portrait of George when he turns 8 on July 22. The royal couple has made it a tradition of sharing a personal photo taken by Kate every year to show the British public how their children are growing up.