Kate Middleton shares new photo of Prince George on eighth birthday and it has a hidden meaning

The Duchess of Cambridge has released a new photo of Prince George on his eighth birthday and it has a special meaning.

The Duchess of Cambridge has released an adorable new photo of Prince George to celebrate his eighth birthday and it has a special significance.

Captioned “Turning eight(!) tomorrow” with birthday cake and “party” emojis, the Duke and Duchess’s official Instagram account credited the image to the Duchess of Cambridge.

George is pictured flashing a cheeky grin at the camera, wearing a $A18 cotton, striped navy-and-orange polo shirt from UK retailer John Lewis & Partners, teamed with navy shorts.

The image came after an “upset” Kate Middleton was said to have been considering breaking tradition by not sharing a photo image of her first-born, due to a heartbreaking reason.

Royal biographer Angela Levin had suggested the Cambridges could break tradition and not drop a new photo of George because of previous online attacks from trolls about the young prince.

A new portrait of Prince George, to mark his eighth birthday, taken by his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, in Norfolk. Picture: The Duchess of Cambridge

Prince George, centre, with his mother Kate and faher William (far right) at Wembley Stadium on July 11. Picture: Getty Images

“There are rumours that we might not see the photograph [of Prince George] when he’s eight, because they’ve been so upset by the rudeness of people mocking a little boy aged seven, and I hope they can overcome that,” she said on True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat.

The future king received cruel comments online after he made an appearance at Wembley with his parents for the Euro 2020 final last week.

In the birthday image, a beaming George posed on the bonnet of a Land Rover Defender, an off-road vehicle synonymous with his late great-grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince Philip, who died in April a few months short of his 100th birthday, regularly drove Land Rovers and during his funeral the duke’s coffin was carried by a specially adapted defender which he helped design.

The new image of Prince George is being viewed as a tribute to his late great-grandfather, Prince Philip. Picture: AFP

Including the vehicle may be seen as a poignant tribute to the late Prince Philip, who had a passion for engineering.

The Duchess is a keen photographer and regularly takes images of George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to mark milestones in her children’s lives.

The image was taken outdoors earlier this month in Norfolk, where the Cambridges have their family home, Anmer Hall, which is close to the Queen’s Sandringham residence.

Prince George turns eight today – July 22.

The Duchess of Cambridge, left, cradles her newborn son Prince George in 2013, outside St. Mary's Hospital’s Lindo Wing with Prince William (right). Picture: AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis

Prince George on his first day of school in 2017. Picture: AFP

Growing up! Prince George right, with his sister Princess Charlotte at outside their school Thomas's Battersea in 2019. Picture: Kensington Palace via Getty Images

KATE’S PASSION

Kate may have a passion for photography but she revealed her children sometimes wish their mother would put her camera down.

Speaking to a finalist of her Hold Still photography contest, the Duchess said of her children George, Charlotte, and Louis: “Everyone’s like, ‘Mummy, please stop taking photographs.’”

George has spent the past 12 months living life under lockdown with his siblings and parents and has experienced some unusual things.

Kate has confessed she has been cutting her children’s hair, telling a group of parents in January: “I’ve become a hairdresser this lockdown, much to my children’s horror, seeing mum cutting hair”.

‘Mummy, please stop.’ The Duchess of Cambridge is a keen photographer. Picture: AFP

Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge was born in the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, at 4.24pm on July 22 2013, weighing 8lb 6oz.

He made his public debut on the hospital steps one day later, wrapped in a white merino wool shawl, cradled in his proud parents’ arms.

A great-grandchild to the Queen, he will be the 43rd monarch since William the Conqueror obtained the crown of England if, as expected, he follows the reigns of his grandfather, the Prince of Wales, and then his father, Prince William.