Prince William and Kate might not release Prince George's birthday portrait for this reason

Prince William and Kate Middleton might not share a picture of their son Prince George on his birthday later this week, breaking the tradition that they have followed on his past seven birthdays.

Prince George, the eldest son of the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge and an heir to the British throne, will turn eight on Thursday, July 22. On his last birthday, his parents had shared a candid portrait of him clicked by his mother to mark the occasion, but a royal expert believes that the Cambridges are considering not issuing an official photograph this time.

This is due to the insensitive comments about George's appearance that have been made on social media in the past few weeks. Angelina Levin said on True Royalty TV's "Royal Beat," "There are rumours that we might not see the photograph [of Prince George] when he's eight, because they've been so upset by the rudeness of people mocking a little boy aged seven, and I hope they can overcome that."

Meanwhile, a royal correspondent said that the Cambridges are trying to gradually introduce royal duties into Prince George's life, to prepare him for a life of public service as the monarch of Britain. Roya Nikkah claimed that the young royal's recent appearance at the European Championship at Wembley was also in fact his debut into royal engagements.

"This is an official duty for Prince George at the age of seven. It's lovely and happy and there's a lot of emotion. Getting him used to big crowds and knowing that he is being watched by millions of people - it's quite a clever way of doing it," Nikkah said.

Prince George had made a surprise appearance at England's Euro 2020 game against Germany in a mini-suit and tie, twinning with his father. Videos went viral of the seven-year-old mumbling shyly while the stadium joined the players in singing the national anthem "God Save the Queen" in the name of his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.

He also attended the final Euro match where England lost to Italy 3-2 on penalties. He was seen cheering wildly when England scored, and looking upset when Italy won the penalty shoot-out.