Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge have sent royal watchers into a spin with a new portrait of Prince George released for his ninth birthday.
The snap, taken by Catherine herself, shows the young royal grinning at the camera in a soft blue polo shirt.
It’s believed the photo was taken at a beach near the family’s Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, at possibly the same spot where the Cambridge family filmed a touching video to mark Catherine and William’s 10th wedding anniversary.
Prince George looked charming in his new birthday portrait.
(Credit: (Image: Instagram))The duke and duchess captioned the photo, which they shared to their official Instagram account: “George is turning 9!”
With several adult teeth grown in and his sandy blonde hair parted down the side, George looks more like his father than ever in the new portrait.
“The future king is so handsome! Just like his dad, the Duke of Cambridge,” one penned on the Instagram post.
But his smiling brown eyes were a genetic gift from the Middleton family, with royal watchers often commenting how much he resembles uncle James Middleton.
WATCH: Prince George’s sweet moment with Catherine at Wimbldeon
Another wrote on Twitter; “Just like his dad, but there’s plenty of Catherine in him too. Just look at that sweet smile!”
George tuns nine on July 22, marking another milestone birthday for the young royal.
In the last year, he’s attended a number of key public events with his parents and taken his first steps into public royal life.
While Catherine and William are clearly eager to protect their eldest son from the pressures of life in the spotlight, they have taken to bringing him along to “fun” royal outings.
He has attended a number of sporting matches with his parents, delighting fans when he arrives without warning in darling little suits and cheers from the stands.
George shares a secret with mum Catherine at Wimbledon.
(Credit: (Image: Getty))George also stepped out for Wimbledon this year, where he charmed officials with polite handshakes as mum Catherine showed him around the venue.
It’s believed the outing was a special treat for George’s birthday; Catherine told reporters his younger sister Princess Charlotte stayed home as “It’s George’s treat today”.
George had been hoping for Novak Djokovic to win according to dad William, who stepped in when George shied away as reporters asked who he was backing.
“Djokovic,” he whispered to his son, before cheekliy adding: “We’ll see how long it lasts. He’ll support the winner.”
