Kate Middleton takes new Prince Louis photo in honour of his sixth birthday

A special photo of Prince Louis taken by Princess Kate has been shared to celebrate the little royal’s sixth birthday.

Prince William and Princess Kate have released an adorable new photo of Prince Louis in honour of his sixth birthday.

The picture – taken by the Princess of Wales – is understood to be unedited, and was reportedly taken at Windsor in the last few days.

The royal couple shared it on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing: “Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! Thank you for all the kind wishes today.”

Prince Louis has just turned six. Picture: Instagram

And eagle-eyed royal watchers have also noticed one sweet detail in the photo: Louis appears to have had a recent visit from the tooth fairy, with one of his bottom-front teeth missing.

“Thank you so much for sharing this delightful picture. I see the tooth fairy has been visiting - goodness time flies so fast,” one fan wrote on Twitter.

Kate is known for taking pictures of her children, which are traditonally released to mark their birthdays.

However, this milestone comes amid an undoubtedly difficult period for the Wales’, as they deal with both King Charles’ cancer diagnosis and also Kate’s.

The family of five has taken time out of the spotlight in recent weeks, enjoying a low-key, private holiday in Norfolk over the Easter school break.

Kate revealed in March that her cancer had been discovered after undergoing surgery for a different condition earlier this year, adding that she had kept the diagnosis secret in order to “explain everything” to Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 6 and give them time to process the news.

The cheeky royal is known for stealing the show at public occasions. Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Louis last appeared in a picture released on Mother’s Day in the UK which sparked controversy after it was revealed to have been “manipulated” by the “source”.

The world’s largest picture agencies took the extraordinary step of issuing “kill notices” on the image of Kate, surrounded by her three children, after several inconsistencies were noticed.

The Princess of Wales addressed the furore within hours, releasing a statement taking ownership for the mistake.

“I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day,” she wrote on X.