The preteen prince’s past year included a major soccer championship and a selfie with Taylor Swift!
Prince George is ringing in 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, which was taken in Windsor earlier this month by mom Princess Kate, continues a royal tradition. The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 42, have issued portraits of George every year for his birthday since he was a baby, and the practice extended to his two younger siblings, 9-year-old Princess Charlotte and 6-year-old Prince Louis.
Related: Prince George Is Turning 11! See the Best Photo from Every Year of His Royal Life
The new black-and-white portrait features Prince George looking dapper in a dark blazer and white shirt. Notably, a friendship-style bracelet is visible on his left wrist in the Instagram Stories version—possibly a souvenir from his memorable evening at Taylor Swift’s London concert in June. His parents shared the photo on social media with the heartfelt message: “Wishing Prince George a very happy 11th birthday today!”
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Although the tradition continued this year for Charlotte and Louis, there was uncertainty if 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 taken by William of her and their children to mark Mother’s Day in the U.K. was removed by multiple news agencies due to suspicions of manipulation. “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,” she said.
Both Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte’s most recent birthday portraits were unedited and taken by their mother, who announced in late March that she was undergoing treatment for cancer.
Prince George will likely celebrate his birthday out of the public eye with his family, but he has popped up at a few recent events. In addition to joining the royals at Trooping the Colour, the annual celebration of the British monarch’s birthday, on June 15, the preteen prince attended a Taylor Swift concert with his father and sister (where they snapped a selfie with the pop star!) on June 21 and joined Prince William at the UEFA European Championship soccer game between England and Spain on July 14.
Although Prince George will become monarch one day, his parents want to make the transition into royal duties as easy as possible for him.
“William is trying to normalize it. They’re not in denial, and there’s a lot of thought being given to it, which was not always the case,” Robert Hardman, the author of The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, previously told PEOPLE.
“With George, there’s a sense that the priority is that he and his siblings are not put off this, that it’s not scary, that it’s something that they understand and it’s going to be part of their life,” he said. “And there’s a belief to make it as unobtrusive and as normal, if you can call it normal, and as pleasant as possible.”
Hardman added, “Crucially, it’s both of them: William and Catherine.”
Related: The Cutest Photos of Kate Middleton and Prince William Enjoying Sports with Their Kids
While previous generations of royals had their future laid out for them without consultation, Prince William had a level of autonomy in selecting his university education, engaging with the armed forces and undertaking initial royal responsibilities — and he wants the same for his son.
“There is no expectation that any royal duties are going to kick in until George is well into his 20s,” a Kensington Palace source said in the book. “Before he was even made a page at the coronation, William and Catherine wanted to ask him if he felt comfortable about it because he was clearly the youngest. It turned out he was keen.”
Prince William made it clear that his duties as a husband and parent came first 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 a normal schedule for Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
“We know they are a very tight family unit, and he wants to be there for them,” Hardman told PEOPLE. “So much of what they do with those kids is about normalizing life and not making them feel like they are in a special gilded cage.”
“They are a modern royal couple,” added Hardman. “There would have been more delegation [in the past]. He doesn’t want to leave it all to the nanny.”
