Prince George celebrates his 11th birthday with a brand new photo.
Kate Middleton and Prince William shared a new portrait to mark their eldest son’s latest milestone on July 22.
The new image, taken in Windsor earlier this month by his mother, Princess Kate, follows royal tradition. The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 42, have released portraits of George every year on his birthday since he was a baby, and the practice has extended to his two younger siblings, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.
The new black-and-white portrait shows Prince George looking dapper in a dark blazer and white shirt. A friendship bracelet can be seen on his left wrist in the Instagram Stories version, perhaps a memento from his memorable night at Taylor Swift’s concert in London in June. His parents shared the photo on social media with the heartfelt message: “Wishing Prince George a very happy 11th birthday today!”
While the tradition continued this year for Charlotte and Louis, there was uncertainty over whether Prince William and Princess Kate would release new photos surrounding their children’s birthdays this year. In March, Kate released a rare statement after a photo William took of her and their children to mark Mother’s Day in the UK was removed by several news outlets due to suspicions of manipulation. “Like many amateur photographers, I sometimes experiment with editing. I wanted to apologise for any confusion caused by the family photo we shared yesterday,” she said.
The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram
The latest birthday portraits of Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte were unretouched and taken by their mother, who announced in late March that she was undergoing treatment for cancer.
Prince George will likely be celebrating his birthday away from the public eye with his family, but he has made an appearance at a few events recently. In addition to joining the royal family for Trooping the Colour, the British monarch’s annual birthday celebration, on June 15, the preteen prince attended a Taylor Swift concert with his dad and sister (where they snapped a selfie with the pop star!) on June 21 and joined Prince William at England’s UEFA European Championship soccer match against Spain on July 14.
Jean Catuffe/Getty
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Although Prince George will one day become monarch, his parents want to make the transition to royal duties as easy as possible for him.
“William is trying to normalize this. They’re not in denial and they’re thinking about it a lot, which wasn’t always the case,” said Robert Hardman, the author of The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchypreviously told PEOPLE.
“With George, there’s a sense that the priority is that he and his siblings aren’t put off, that it’s not scary, that it’s something they understand and that it’s part of their lives,” he said. “And there’s a conviction to make it as low-key and as normal, if you can call it normal, and as enjoyable as possible.”
Hardman added: “The most important thing is that they are both: William and Catherine.”
Daniel Leal/Getty
While previous generations of royals had their futures mapped out without consultation, Prince William had a level of autonomy in choosing his university studies, his military service and his early royal responsibilities – and he wants the same for his son.
“George is not expected to take on royal duties until he is in his 20s,” a Kensington Palace source said in the book. “Even before he was appointed a page at the coronation, William and Catherine wanted to ask him if he was comfortable with the idea, as he was clearly the youngest. It turned out he was enthusiastic.”
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
Prince William made it clear that his duties as a husband and parent took priority when Princess Kate underwent abdominal surgery in January and announced her cancer diagnosis in March. William took time out of the public eye during her recovery so he could help her and keep Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on a normal schedule.
“We know they’re a very close-knit family and he wants to be there for them,” Hardman tells PEOPLE. “A lot of what they do with these kids is to normalize life and not make them feel like they’re locked in a special gilded cage.”
“They’re a modern royal couple,” Hardman added. “There would have been more delegation (in the past). He doesn’t want to leave everything to the nanny.”
