Prince George, third in line to the British throne, turns six today. And as has become royal tradition, a series of new photos of the eldest son of Prince William and Kate Middleton have been released to mark the occassion.

Shared to Kensington Palace's official Instagram account, two of the shots, taken by his mother, show a giggling George dressed in a Three Lions English football jersey.

READ MORE: • The Queen leaves gifts for Prince George when he stays at Buckingham Palace

The third is a more demure shot of the future king, taken on a family holiday, again by his mother.

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HOW THE ROYALS WILL CELEBRATE

According to The Sun, George's birthday will reportedly be a low-key affair. Not because of any decisions his parents, William and Kate, have made — though they are clear about wanting their son to grow up in a "normal family".

The relaxed family gathering is what George himself has requested. Of course, when your great-gran is the Queen, "normality" is a relative term.

But George has already carved out a very clear sense of how he's going to tackle the extraordinary life he has been handed.

"While the outside world sees him as an infant, George is very much his own man," a source who has watched him grow up from close quarters told Fabulous.

"When he goes back to Thomas' Battersea in September, his year [Year 2] will be head of the lower school.

"With younger siblings Charlotte and Louis taking a lot of the attention at home, George is learning to be more independent.

"Yes, he has been protected from some of the realities about being third in line to the throne, but it is almost as if he is hardwired to feel a sense of responsibility."