Kate Middleton's birthday photo of Prince George has fans gushing over his resemblance to Prince William

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: On the occasion of Prince George's 11th birthday, his parents, Kate Middleton and Prince William, released an exclusive portrait.

The photo, taken in Windsor earlier this month by the young royal's mother, soon went viral, with netizens pointing out how much he resembles his parents. 

The Prince and Princess of Wales, have shared annual portraits of George for his birthday since he was a baby, and this tradition has also been extended to his two younger siblings, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. 

Kate Middleton and Prince William share new black-and-white portrait of Prince George to mark his 11th birthday

The new black-and-white portrait of George shows him looking stylish in a dark blazer and white shirt. A friendship bracelet is visible on his left wrist, possibly a keepsake from his memorable evening at Taylor Swift's London concert in June. 

His parents shared the photo on social media with a heartfelt message: "Wishing Prince George a very happy 11th birthday today!"

Although the tradition of sharing birthday portraits continued this year for Charlotte and Louis, there was some uncertainty about whether William and Kate would release new photos for their children's birthdays after the Mother's Day photo debacle.  

To celebrate the occasion of Mother's Day in the UK, a photo of the Princess of Wales with her three children was uploaded to their social media accounts in early March. Soon after, the Associated Press, Getty Images, and Reuters removed the photo from their press libraries, mentioning that the picture might have been manipulated.

Nevertheless, Kate issued a rare statement, saying, "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day," as per PEOPLE Magazine.

Both Louis and Charlotte’s most recent birthday portraits were taken by their mother, who announced in late March that she was undergoing treatment for cancer.

George likely celebrated his 11th birthday privately with his family, though he has recently appeared at a few public events.

On June 15, he attended Trooping the Colour to celebrate his grandfather King Charles III’s official birthday. He and his sister were spotted at Swift's concert alongside their father on June 21 and they even took a selfie with the pop star. 

He also joined Prince William at the UEFA European Championship soccer match between England and Spain on July 14.

Internet gushes over Prince George's new portrait

While many royal fans sent their well-wishes to Prince George, others observed the similarities between the young prince and his parents. 

One wrote, "Very handsome ! I love that she takes their portraits, she does a great job." Another said, "Great picture so grown up."

A person remarked, "Oh he is his daddy’s mini me at this age," while someone else observed, "Looks just like his Dad!! Adorable!!"

"He’s looking quite a bit like his father in this picture," noted an individual. One who found he looked similar to his mother, wrote, "George sure looks like a Middleton! Happy Birthday, George!" and another person echoed, "He’s such a good looking young man, resembles his Mother!!!"

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