Prince William releases new pictures to mark 40th birthday

Photos of the Duke of Cambridge were taken this month when he spent a day selling 'The Big Issue'

'The Big Issue' vendor Dave Martin shows Prince William the ins and outs of selling the magazine in London this month. All photos: 'The Big Issue' / PA

Prince Williams catches on quickly as he and Mr Martin snare the interest of bypassers in London. PA

The Duke of Cambridge spends a day in the shoes of 'The Big Issue' sellers in London.

The Duke of Cambridge has released three new photographs to mark his 40th birthday.

The pictures were taken this month when he took to the streets of London to sell The Big Issue.

Prince William is pictured with his arm on the shoulder of Dave Martin, 60, who took him under his wing and showed him how to sell the magazine, which gives an income to the homeless.

His milestone birthday comes in the Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee year and, mirroring his grandmother’s commitment to duty and service, he has pledged to continue to raise the issue of homelessness in an article for The Big Issue.

“So for my part, I commit to continue doing what I can to shine a spotlight on this solvable issue not just today, but in the months and years to come,” wrote the duke, who is the magazine’s cover star along with Mr Martin.

“And in the years ahead, I hope to bring George, Charlotte and Louis to see the fantastic organisations doing inspiring work to support those most in need — just as my mother did for me."

In another picture released to celebrate the duke’s milestone, he is holding a pile of the magazines and, in the third image, is pictured sharing a laugh with someone who appears to be buying the publication.

Prince William through the years – in pictures

1982: A 6-month old Prince William with his mother Princess Diana at Kensington Palace in London. Prince William is celebrating his 40th birthday in 2022. Here 'The National' looks back at each of the years of his life. AP Photo

1983: Prince Charles and Princess Diana with their son Prince William. Getty Images

1984: Prince William leaves the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London holding the hand of his nanny Barbara Barnes, having visiting his mother Princess Diana, after the birth of his brother Prince Harry. Getty Images

1985: Prince Charles and Prince William on the royal yacht 'Britannia' during a visit to Venice, Italy. Getty Images

1986: Prince William wearing the uniform of the Parachute Regiment of the British Army in the garden of Highgrove House in Doughton, Gloucestershire. Getty Images

1987: Prince William holding the hand of Princess Diana on his arrival for the first day at his new school, Wetherby School, in London. AP Photo

1988: Prince William with Princess Diana at Guards Polo Club. Getty Images

1989: Prince Charles and Princess Diana and their sons, Princes William and Harry begin a cycle ride around the island of Tresco, one of the Scilly Isles. AP Photo

1990: Princess Diana and Prince William during a holiday on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. Getty Images

1991: Prince William shakes hands with royal fans during a visit to St. James Cathedral in Toronto, Canada. AP Photo

1992: Prince William go-karting at Buckmore Park 'Playscape' in Chatham, England. Getty Images

1993: Princess Diana with Prince William and Prince Harry passing the Hotel Arlberg during an afternoon carriage ride, on a ski holiday in Lech, Austria. Getty Images

1994: Prince William and Princess Diana applaud the Wimbledon Ladies' Tennis Championship presentations after the final. AP Photo

1995: Prince William attends his first day at Eton College, with Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince Charles. Getty Images

1996: Prince William smiling outside Clarence House on his great grandmother's birthday. Getty Images

1997: Prince William walks with head bowed behind the coffin of his mother Princess Diana, on its way to London's Westminster Abbey for her funeral ceremony. AP Photo

1998: Prince William and Prince Charles meet the public after the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham. Getty Images

1999: Prince William gets out of his new Ford Focus car while learning to drive at Highgrove, Gloucestershire. Getty Images

2000: Prince William carries a log used to construct walkways to link buildings during his Raleigh International expedition in the village of Tortel, Southern Chile. Getty Images

2001: Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Charles appear with the Queen Mother during celebrations to mark her 101st birthday in London. Getty Images

2002: Prince Charles and his sons William and Harry in the Swiss village of Klosters at the start of his annual skiing holiday in the Alps. Getty Images

2003: Prince William poses on the pier at St Andrews, where he attended university, in Scotland. Getty Images

2004: Prince William participates in the annual Army v Navy match for the Rundle Cup at Tidworth Polo Club in Wiltshire. Getty Images

2005: Prince William, second left back row, poses with the royal family at Windsor Castle after Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall's wedding ceremony. Getty Images

2006: Prince William smiles at the passing-out Sovereign's Parade at Sandhurst Military Academy. Getty Images

2007: Prince William and Prince Harry celebrate a try that was to be disallowed during the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final between England and South Africa in Saint-Denis, France. Getty Images

2008: Prince William walks across the airfield at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire. AP Photo

2009: Prince William is shown how to extract DNA from a mosquito by Dr Yvonne Linton, on a visit to open the Darwin Centre at the Natural History Museum, London. Getty Images

2010: Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton pose for the media at St. James's Palace in London after they announced their engagement. AP Photo

2011: Prince William exchanges rings with his bride Kate Middleton at their wedding in Westminster Abbey, London. Getty Images

2012: Prince William and his wife Kate celebrate at the Velodrome during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Getty Images

2013: The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William depart the Lindo Wing with their newborn son Prince George at St Mary's Hospital in London. Getty Images

2014: Prince William and Kate meet a koala at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were on a three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand. Getty Images

2015: Prince William and Kate arrive with their son Prince George for the christening of their daughter Princess Charlotte at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate. Getty Images

2016: Prince William alongside Queen Elizabeth on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour, this year marking the Queen's 90th birthday. Getty Images

2017: Prince William and Prince Harry during a visit to The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace. The garden had been transformed into a White Garden dedicated to the memory of Princess Diana. Getty Images

2018: Prince William looks on as Meghan Markle sits in George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, for her wedding to Prince Harry. Getty Images

2019: Prince William and Kate visit a settlement of the Kalash people, to learn more about their culture and unique heritage, in Chitral, Pakistan. Getty Images

2020: Prince William and his wife Kate at the Shire Hall Care Home in Wales, where they spoke to some of the home's staff, residents and their family members during the coronavirus pandemic. Getty Images

2021: Prince William and Prince Harry unveil a statue they commissioned of their mother Princess Diana, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, on what would have been her 60th birthday. Getty Images

2022: Prince William onstage during the Platinum Party at the Palace in front of Buckingham Palace, during the jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. Getty Images

In the coming decade the future king’s role will become more prominent as he supports the monarchy.

The past 12 months have been an important period for the duke who, in October, held the inaugural awards ceremony for his ambitious Earthshot Prize – a 10-year, £50 million ($61m) project to recognise innovative ideas to repair the planet.

The Cambridges spent three days touring the country by royal train in December, thanking frontline and key workers for their efforts since the coronavirus crisis began.

But there have been setbacks, with Prince William and his wife criticised for certain elements of their recent Caribbean tour deemed to hark back to colonial days.

He is likely to mark his milestone birthday privately and it’s likely that Kate and their three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who featured during the queen’s platinum jubilee weekend celebrations — will play a part.

Prince William turns 40 - video

Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales was born second in line to the throne at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, at 9.03pm on June 21, 1982.

He weighed 3.21 kilograms and was the firstborn son of heir to the throne, Prince Charles, and Diana, Princess of Wales.

At just nine months old, he accompanied his parents on their six-week official visit to Australia and New Zealand, a move that was a break from royal tradition.

His mother, Diana, who separated from Charles in 1992, died in a car crash in 1997.

Prince Williams was only 15 and his brother Prince Harry, 12. The two walked behind Diana’s coffin during a funeral procession through London.

Prince William met Kate Middleton at St Andrews University in Fife, Scotland, and the pair wed in 2011 after dating for more than eight years.

He was made the Duke of Cambridge by his grandmother, the queen, on the morning of his wedding.

The couple welcomed their first child George, also a future king, in 2013, followed by Charlotte in 2015 and Louis in 2018.

Prince William was pictured with his children on holiday in Jordan in a photo released at the weekend to mark Father’s Day.