Prince George is all smiles in Kate Middleton’s 9th birthday portrait

Happy birthday, Prince George!

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s eldest son – who turns 9 on Friday – flashed a cheeky smile ahead of his big day in a new portrait shared on social media.

“George is 9 years old! 🎂🎈,” the proud parents captioned the sweet snap, which was taken by the Duchess of Cambridge herself.

The young royal, who wore a powder blue collared shirt and side-swept hair, showed a striking resemblance to his father while posing on the beach.

William and Kate have a tradition of posting a new portrait of their three children – George, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4 – every year on their birthday.

The Duchess, 40, often takes the photos herself, featuring her three children in locations with special meaning to the royal family.

Last year, George was pictured sitting atop a Land Rover Defender in a striped collared shirt, a nod to Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, who was closely associated with the vehicle.

The prince brought that same cheeky grin with him to Wimbledon earlier this month, where all eyes were on him due to his goofy expressions.

For his first time at the famous tennis tournament, the young royal matched his parents in a navy suit – but didn’t keep his cool for long.

Fans watched as the youngster was caught picking his nose before wrinkling his face and squinting as Novak Djokovic took on Nick Kyrgios in the match.

Prince William, 40, was the same age as his eldest son when he first attended his first Wimbledon match with Princess Diana in 1991.

It seems that all of the royal couple’s children take after their father.

Earlier this year. When Princess Charlotte’s 7th birthday portrait was released, people were quick to notice her striking resemblance to the future king as she lay in a bed of purple flowers with her cocker spaniel puppy, Orla.