Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, released a portrait that she took of her son Prince Louis on April 23, 2024, in honor of his sixth birthday. In past years, she has released what we can refer to as his yearly “birthday portrait” the day before his actual birthday. No one was even sure she would share a birthday portrait of her youngest child this year because of the whole brouhaha that went down when she shared an altered photo of herself and her and Prince William's three kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Louis in honor of Mother’s Day in England.
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That altered photo led to top news agencies declaring that Kensington Palace was no longer a trusted source. The photo controversy came after Kate had undergone abdominal surgery in January and then seemingly disappeared making many wonder what the heck was going on with her. Then on March 22, she released a video explaining that after her surgery it was “found cancer had been present.” She was advised to undergo preventative chemotherapy. Understandably, she asked for privacy for herself and her children, which is why no one was sure if she would share a birthday portrait of Louis. But she did and it’s adorable, check it out along with past birthday portraits of the child that is fourth in line to the throne.
The birthday boy!
The smiling photo of Louis was taken by Kate. Kensington Palace assures the public that the photo has not been digitally edited. The BBC reports that the palace decided to release the photo as a way to say thank you to all who had sent the prince birthday wishes.
He sat in a wheelbarrow for his fifth birthday portrait.
The caption on the carousel posted to Instagram reads: “Someone’s turning 5 tomorrow… .” One picture features him with his mother and another is one of him all by himself with tussled hair and a lovely smile.
The stars aligned for his fourth birthday.
I am speaking about the stars on the sweater he was photographed in. The photos were shared the day before he turned 4 and the caption reads: “4 years old tomorrow!”
On the actual day of his birthday, two more pictures of the prince were released with a sweet message that reads: “Thank you for all the lovely birthday messages for Prince Louis today! .”
The day before his third birthday, he showed off his wheels.
Louis was photographed atop a red bike without training wheels, proving that he was indeed entering his big boy stage. He was also wearing a uniform and carrying a backpack because that’s what big boys do.
His second birthday tribute featured him getting artsy.
A series of photos that showed Louis with paint on his hands was captioned: “Sharing a sneak peek of Prince Louis’ handiwork ahead of his second birthday! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are pleased to share new images of Prince Louis, taken by The Duchess this April.”
His first birthday portraits were so cute!
He just looks like one happy baby in them. The caption reads: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to share these new photographs of Prince Louis ahead of his first birthday tomorrow The photographs were taken earlier this month by The Duchess at their home in Norfolk.”
I have to share this picture from his christening!
I find this picture irresistible because both mother and son look so very happy in it. It was shared on July 16, 2018 when Louis was just shy of 2 months old. He looks like a little doll in his mother’s arms.
A few days after his birth, William and Kate made an announcement.
“The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son Louis Arthur Charles. The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge.”
The day they brought him home.
He was an itty-bitty thing when William and Kate took him home from St Mary’s Hospital in London to Kensington Palace. I love how happy both William and Kate look in the photo they shared on Louis' birth day!
I think it’s wonderful that Kate shared a birthday photo of Louis despite her health issues.
It would certainly be understandable if she had chosen not to, but I feel like she’s created this tradition with her kids of honoring their special day with a yearly portrait. Given that her kids must be worried about her health, it’s nice that they get to continue doing things that feel normal to them.
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