Prince George's new birthday photo has got royal fans all saying the same thing

The Prince and Princess of Wales shared a new portrait of their eldest son Prince George to mark his 11th birthday on Monday.

In keeping with tradition, keen photographer Princess Kate got behind the camera to take the charming black-and-white picture.

© The Princess of Wales

The snapshot, taken by Kate in Windsor earlier this month, showed the young prince sitting on a stone bench as he leans slightly forward and smiles at his mother.

For the special occasion, George donned a smart suit and a crisp white shirt. He could also be seen wearing what appeared to be a friendship bracelet on his wrist.

© Getty Images

Proud parents William and Kate shared the portrait on their official Instagram page alongside the caption: "Wishing Prince George a very happy 11th birthday today!"

The touching tribute prompted an outpouring of messages from royal fans around the world. Whilst many were quick to send birthday well wishes, there was also an influx of comments regarding George's grown-up appearance.

"Happy Birthday Prince George!!! I can't believe how big he's gotten!!," wrote one fan in the comments section, while a second noted: "Omg! How did he grow so much?? He's such a gentleman!!," and a third added: "How is he already 11??? They are growing up so fast!"

© Getty Images

Kate's portrait broke royal tradition in the sense that her new picture of George was released in black-and-white. Up until now, all of the mother-of-three's birthday portraits have been released in colour.

In another break with tradition, Kate's social media team opted to post the portrait on social media without sharing official images under embargo on the eve of George's birthday - it's a tradition the couple first changed back in April for Prince Louis' sixth birthday.

Princess Kate's passion for photography

Kate is a keen photographer and regularly releases pictures of her family on special occasions including birthdays.

© Getty Images

The creative royal, who studied History of Art at university, first dipped her toes into photography when she worked at her parents' company, Party Pieces. She was in charge of photographing stock for the catalogue and website.

Whilst living in London, she helped to host a photography exhibition of Alastair Morrison's work to benefit UNICEF, and in 2012, she was named the patron of The National Portrait Gallery - one of her first royal patronages.

She became an honorary member of the Royal Photographic Society in 2017, and became the organisation's patron in 2019, taking over from the late Queen who previously held the position for 67 years.