Prince George’s 11th birthday portrait. Courtesy of Princess Kate Middleton/Kensington Palace
Prince George is all grown up in his new birthday portrait!
The young prince can be seen smiling in a dapper suit in a new black-and-white photograph taken by his mother, Princess Kate Middleton, shared via X on Monday, July 11, to mark his 11th birthday.
“Wishing Prince George a very happy 11th birthday today!” reads the post shared by Kensington Palace.
Wishing Prince George a very happy 11th birthday today!
📸 The Princess of Wales, 2024 pic.twitter.com/Tybyz7Z8cs
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) July 22, 2024
George is the eldest son of Prince William and Princess Kate. William and Kate, both 42, typically release a new portrait to commemorate each of their children’s birthdays. (They also share daughter Princess Charlotte, 9, and son Prince Louis, 6.) Kate often snaps the photographs herself.
“You can see from the pictures she takes that she’s better, certainly better than your average person on the streets,” royal photographer Samir Hussein exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2020. “She’s got a good eye, and she’s a good photographer. I’m impressed by her pictures, absolutely.”
Hussein is particularly impressed by Kate’s skills, knowing firsthand it can be difficult for kids to sit still during a photo session.
“That’s the thing with kids, you just don’t know what you’re going to get and that makes it really fun to photograph,” he told Us. “At the end of the day, they’re just kids, and you can’t necessarily ask them to behave in a certain way because it [makes for] some really good spontaneous images. I really love shooting the royal children when I get the opportunity.”
George has made more public appearances since he turned 10, often accompanying his parents to professional sports matches, concerts and more. He also had a special role as a page in grandfather King Charles III’s 2023 coronation.
William can also see his firstborn following in his military footsteps, teasing during a May garden party that George is a “potential pilot in the making.”
The royals have been navigating a challenging time this year as both Kate and Charles, 75, were diagnosed with undisclosed forms of cancer. For the Princess of Wales, she took a step back from public-facing engagements as she underwent treatment.
“My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I’m now in the early stages of that treatment,” Kate said in a March statement. “This, of course, came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”
She continued, “I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal in my mind, body and spirit. Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too, as is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you.”
Kate made her official public return at Trooping the Colour last month, escorting her three children via gilded carriage. She later stepped out at the men’s final at Wimbledon last weekend with Charlotte. George was in Germany at the time with William, where they watched the England vs. Spain championship game of the Euros.
