Prince George is no longer a little boy. He looked so grown up in his annual birthday photo, which was released by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on July 21, one day before George turned 8 years old.

As in all birthday photos of the couple’s children, it was taken by Duchess Kate (née Middleton). George was seen outdoors sitting on the hood of what appeared to be a Land Rover. The auto is favored by George’s great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, during her visits to her country estates, Sandringham and Balmoral.

The blonde-haired youth showed off a big toothy grin, with his adult teeth showing. George was adorably already missing some of his baby teeth in his smiley 6th birthday portraits.

George wore a short-sleeved collared navy T-shirt with orange horizontal stripes for the photo. He donned navy shorts that he’s worn in the past, including to help count down a June 21 Father’s Day half-marathon with his dad, Prince William, near the family’s country home, Anmer Hall, near Norfolk, England.

Prince George's 8th Birthday Photo: See Handsome New Portrait
Courtesy of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge/Instagram

In the summery photo, a field could be seen in the distance behind the vehicle George sat atop. The picture is in line with his prior birthday portraits, which since the age of five have all been snapped in the outdoors.

Kate, 39, kept the same theme with George’s younger sibling’s birthday portraits in 2021. Prince Louis was snapped atop a red bike on his way to his first day of preschool in London in April when he turned 3. Princess Charlotte was photographed on an outdoor swing along the sprawling grounds of Anmer Hall for her 6th birthday snapshot in May.

Prince George has shown how grown up and well-mannered he is lately, especially during his appearances at England’s matches during the Euro 2020 Cup. He wore a navy suit with a navy and red striped tie to match his father, William, 39, as they cheered on the Three Lions. While some called out the Duke and Duchess for overdressing their son, he was abiding by the dress code requirements of the box in which the family was sitting.

Sadly, there were some sick online trolls who threw online shade toward the young prince during England’s loss in the July 11 Euro Cup final to Italy. As a result, there had been speculation that William and Kate were contemplating not releasing a birthday photo of George to shield him from the limelight that his soccer game appearances brought. Thankfully, William and Kate rewarded royal fans with yet another gorgeous portrait of their eldest child, who is third in line to the British throne behind his father and his grandfather, Prince Charles.