PRINCE George has been pictured looking very grown-up and just like his dad Wills today to mark his 13th birthday.
The future King is seen at Kensington Palace wearing a dark suit and no tie – with the photo taken after Trooping the Colour last month by snapper Matt Porteous, a favourite of the Royal Family.
The photo was shared to mum and dad Kate and Wills’ social platforms with the caption: “Happy 13th Birthday, George!”
It’s been a transitional summer for George – who not only becomes a teenager but is on the verge of starting a new chapter at Eton College in September.
It will see him following further in dad Wills’ footsteps as his preparation to one day becoming the monarch continues.
In recent photos and videos, the young royal appears to have shot up in height and is now only a whisker away from being taller than mum Kate, who stands at 5ft 9.
This was most apparent when they appeared together at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire late last month to celebrated Armed Forces Day.
George was invited to sit in the cockpit of aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight during the visit – and then was most recently seen at Wimbledon for the men’s final on July 12.
It comes as a family friend told The Sun this week: “He may be as tall as his mum, but George is quite a self-conscious and awkward teen.
“He’s not an extrovert or a show-off. In fact, he’s quite a sensitive soul who’s very into conservation, like his father and grandfather, and music.
“Behind closed doors, he’s like any other teen, but in public he takes it all very seriously.”
There will be a birthday party to celebrate both becoming a teenager and the end of his time at Lambrook School.
The Prince and Princess are known to take a very hands-on approach at parties – fellow parents have been gently amused to see them organising games of rounders and cricket themselves, instead of leaving it to the nannies and retreating inside with a glass of wine.
Football-mad George (who supports Aston Villa, like his father) has no doubt enjoyed the FIFA World Cup matches, and previous birthday parties have been football-themed.
But this is a new era for the young Prince, and his party signifies a growing maturity with a group of close friends – some of whom will attend Eton with him.
As for presents, there’ll possibly be the new Villa strip, a guitar or hockey stick, given he takes after his mum by being fairly ferocious on the hockey pitch.
However, his parents have always been quite low-key with Christmas and birthdays, preferring their children to value sustainability and family time over the bloated consumerism of the latest must-have gadgets.
After George’s birthday, a holiday of outdoor pursuits, such as sailing, swimming and picnics at Anmer Hall – the family’s country retreat on the Norfolk coast – beckons.
It will be his last summer of childhood, as he prepares to step out into the more adult world of senior school.
The family friend says: “George is very aware of who he is, and that has made him extremely cautious with friendships.
“You have to feel for him really, it’s a very difficult thing to know you will be the future King of England.
“He hasn’t faced up to the enormity of his future, but he does take his position seriously.”