Prince George Alexander Louis turns 12, a new portrait has captured him as a spitting image of his dad William

The Prince and Princess of Wales have celebrated their son’s 12th birthday with a new official portrait.

The photograph, taken by Josh Shinner, shows George dressed in checkered light blue shirt and an olive green vest.

His golden locks and warm smile have sent royal fans into a spin, pointing out the birthday boy is a clone of young Prince William.

George, the eldest of the three Wales children, was born was born at 4.24pm on July 22 in 2013 in the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington where his father was delivered 31 years earlier.

He was famously introduced to the world just hours later on the hospital steps.

His twelfth birthday is an important marker and will dictate how the young prince travels going forward; royal protocol dictates that George will not be allowed to fly on the same aircraft as his father, Prince William, without permission from King Charles III.

George was last seen publicly when he and his little sister Princess Charlotte attended the Wimbledon men’s final with their mum and dad on July 13.