Prince George contributes colourful drawing to Prince William's special edition of Country Life

A drawing of a kingfisher by Prince George appears in a special edition of Country Life that has been guest edited by his father, the Prince of Wales.

The 13-year-old's colourful picture of the bird, perched on a branch, takes pride of place in this week's 300-page bumper issue of the magazine.

Prince William has spent the past six months preparing the collectors' edition, which goes on sale on Wednesday.

George is said to enjoy drawing, and created the artwork at home in the spring, when he was 12.

He appears to be following in the footsteps of his grandfather King Charles, who is a keen artist.

His mother Catherine, the Princess of Wales, studied art at A-level and history of art at university.

In 2025, Kate and her children released portrait sketches they drew of each other after spending time together being creative.

The four images were drawn in a variety of mediums from charcoal to ink, but no details were released about who drew each one.

Kate has also given a rare interview to the magazine, and is said to have discussed the healing power of nature.

William also talks about family walks with the Waleses' dogs Orla and Otto, and how George and his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, love to get out and explore.

He recalls growing up at the King's Gloucestershire retreat Highgrove, and having to remember not to open the curtains before getting dressed as the garden was often filled with visitors.

He also tells of his fondness for a visit to the pub for a 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.

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.

He also picks 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 late Queen Elizabeth.

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

The future head of the armed forces also 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.