Prince George Celebrates 9th Birthday

Cheers to another year around the sun for Prince George, who turns 9 years old on Friday!

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, celebrated their son’s last single-digit birthday with a new photo released Thursday.

The sweet photo features the smiling prince dressed in a blue polo shirt while standing on a sandy beach. The portrait was taken by his mother while on vacation in the U.K. earlier this month.

It’s not the first time this year that adorable photos of the prince have offered a rare glimpse into his growing personality.

Earlier this month, his appearance at Wimbledon inspired chuckles and memes across social media.

While watching the men’s final between Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic, the third in line to the British throne drew attention to the royal box, where he sat with his parents and animatedly reacted to the match.

George's younger siblings have celebrated birthdays of their own in recent months.

In April, William and the former Kate Middleton celebrated their youngest, 4-year-old Prince Louis, on his birthday with photos taken by his mother in Norfolk, England. The following month, they cheered on their only daughter, Princess Charlotte, as she turned 7 years old.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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