Thutmose was one of six children known to have been born to Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye, having taken his first breath sometime between regnal years 16-19. As the eldest son, he was heir apparent to the throne of the Two Lands and overshadowed his younger brother Amenhotep IV with the numerous titles and honors granted to him by their father:

"Crown Prince, Overseer of the Priests of Upper and Lower Egypt, High Priest of Ptah in Memphis and Sem-priest, Thutmose"

An ivory whip stock found in the tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) also attests to "The King's son, the troop commander, Thutmose, repeating of births", which indicates his involvement in the military, though it would have most likely been an honorary role given his youth and Egypt's unquestioned sovereignty. Another title--"Head of secrets in the chest of Anubis, sem-priest in the good house and embalmer"--might refer to not only his preistly functions, but also the day when he would perform the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony over the mummy of his father before a proper interment, thus securing his right to the throne.

Unlike most princes, Thutmose has an unusually high historic profile, being portrayed in an offical capacity with his father. He seems to have spent most of his brief life at Memphis, where Amenhotep III had founded a temple for the worship of the creator god Ptah. Thumose was promptly installed as a sem-priest and it may be his name and titles which once decorated the base of a statue of such a priest kneeling to grind corn before Ptah. It was as "High Priest of Ptah in Memphis" that Thutmose accompanied his father at the burial of the first Apis bull at Saqqara. Among the bull's funerary goods were alabaster jars and pottery bearing the name of Thutmose, and a fragment of relief originating from Saqqara shows him making offerings at the funeral with his father. However, the young prince who would originally be christened "Governor of Memphis" is best known for the the burial of his pet cat Ta-Miu (Lady Cat). The beloved feline was provided with a lovely limestone sarcophagus portraying her enjoying all the benefits of the afterlife. She was not to be without her master long.

A schist statue from Amenhotep' reign shows a figure recumbant upon a bier, the 'Sidelock of Youth' curling beside his cheek and a human-headed ba bird spreading its wings protectively over his breast. The inscription along the side reveals the deceased to be "The King's son, the sem-priest Thutmose, the justified."

The cause of the prince's death is unknown, but it is assumed that he died between years 27-30 of his father's reign. Thutmose's strong ties to Memphis might suggest that he was eventually buried at Saqqara, but it is just as likely that he had a House of Eternity prepared at Thebes. Admittedly, no tomb is known for him in either location, though it has been suggested that Tutankhamun's tomb had originally been intended for his probable uncle. A wooden coffin later usurped by a son of Ramesses III and found in the Valley of the Queens may have once contained the mortal remains of Thutmose; at one time gilded, the coffin possesses facial features indicative of Amenhotep III's reign.

The actual body of the prince may have fared somewhat better than his grave goods. Found cached in a sidechamber of Amenhotep II's tomb were three anonymous mummies, two females and one prepubescent male. The elder of the two women has been proven via hair analyisis and family resemblences to be Queen Tiye, which begs the question whether the male body cached with her is not that of her eldest son. The tomb's discoverer, Victor Loret, described the boy as having an "impish grace", an attribute that his well preserved features do not refute. Aged between 9 an 11, he resembles Queen Tiye facially and has the pierced ears popular at the time. Also, he wears the 'Sidelock of Youth' shown in all of Thutmose's known and assumed portrayals, including that of the kneeling sem-priest. A sign of his royal nature as well as his overall youth and priestly functions, the sidelock would have been sheared off when the prince reached maturity. Despite his numerous honors, Thutmose was still a child, one who changed the course of history not with his life, but with his death.