ROYAL APPRENTICE

As he approaches his teenage years, Prince George is gently being introduced to life as a senior royal – and is pulling it off with aplomb

- REPORT: CATHERINE OLIVE & JACKIE BROWN

Prince George is the picture of a happy young man. In a charming image released to mark his 12th birthday on 22 July, the photographer Josh Shinner captured him smiling confidently as he leant on a gate near his family home in Norfolk. "There's no jacket and tie; it's authentic countryside fun," the royal author Robert Hardman told HELLO!.

Given the difficult year that the Waleses have been through, it's especially good to see George looking so cheerful. Not only is it a tribute to his parents' handling of the Princess of Wales's illness, but it also speaks volumes about the secure family life they have created.

In behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot, George larks around with Princess Charlotte, ten, and Prince Louis, seven, the trio displaying the easy bond that only close siblings share.