Prince Louis: Princess Catherine and Prince William release new photo as son turns six
The adorable new birthday photo of Prince Louis reveals a huge change for the young royal as Princess Catherine receives a new honour.
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The Prince and Princess of Wales have released a portrait of Prince Louis to mark his sixth birthday.
The image of the cherubic prince, the fourth in line to the throne, was taken by the Princess on their Windsor Estate.
Palace sources said it had not been edited and was released on the royals’ social media channels to thank those who have sent birthday wishes to the Wales’s youngest child on Tuesday.
The image of the young Prince, seen smiling on a blanket in his favourite chequered shirt, was taken in the last few days for his birthday.
Posting on Instagram and X, William and Catherine said: “Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis!” as well as a note to their faithful followers. “Thank you for all the kind wishes today.”
Royal fans were quick to spot a ‘missing’ detail in the adorable image — the young Prince’s teeth.
Louis’ wide grin revealed that he has lost a tooth or two from the bottom row of his teeth.
One fan wrote on X: “Thank you so much for sharing this delightful picture. I see the tooth fairy has been visiting - goodness time flies so fast.”
Earlier in the day, royal fans were initially left disappointed when Princess Catherine had not marked her youngest son’s sixth birthday on Tuesday morning (local time) with the tradition of releasing a new photograph.
It came as King Charles awarded Princess Catherine a prestigious honour in recognition of her support for the arts and for “taking on more responsibilities.”
The Princess of Wales will join the Royal Companion of The Order of the Companions of Honour.
She was given the honour as part of a St George’s Day tradition and will join superstar Elton John and author J.K Rowling, who are also members.
Prince William was also honoured by being appointed the Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath.
Prince Louis, fourth in line to the throne, is expected to celebrate his birthday with private festivities organised by his parents.
The past few months have been an eventful period for the royal family after Catherine revealed she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy to treat cancer, and the Princess was slammed for a doctored photo she shared of her family.
With his effervescent character, Prince Louis has often stolen the limelight on royal public events.
In December, the youngest Wales child playfully blew out the candle held by sister Princess Charlotte in a service at Westminster Abbey and played up for the cameras for a balcony appearance at last year’s Trooping of the Colour.
Ahead of Prince Louis’ birthday last year, he was photographed being pushed in a wheelbarrow by his mother in lively images taken by photographer Millie Pilkington at Windsor Estate.
Louis was last seen in public on Christmas Day when the royal family made their traditional festive appearance on the King’s Sandringham Estate to walk to church.
He was pictured holding hands with Zara and Mike Tindall’s eldest daughter Mia on one side and holding his father’s fingers with his other hand.
Several weeks before the festive event, Louis and his siblings were taken volunteering by their mother, visiting the Baby Bank in Holyport near Maidenhead where they helped sort through donated goods.
Louis attends Lambrook School in Berkshire with his brother and sister and has recently returned to the classroom after the Easter break.
When Catherine announced in March that she been diagnosed with cancer, her priority, she said, was to ensure her young family remained protected and to explain to them sensitively what her diagnosis meant.
The family has since kept a low profile and spent Easter at their Norfolk home before returning to Windsor last weekend.
Their low profile has also coincided with the fallout from Catherine sharing a family picture for Mother’s Day in March, which sparked a backlash over the photoshopping of the image issued by Kensington Palace.
She publicly apologised after the pictured was “killed” by top picture agencies amid concern that it had been manipulated.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she said.
“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. C,” she said.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said the Princess was probably nervous about triggering another row if she took her own pictures of Prince Louis.
“The Wales’s appreciate the public’s love and affection for their children and know there is a public appetite to see them on their birthdays but Kate does not want to create another storm by taking her own pictures,” he said.
“They hope the next photograph will be met with less backlash and will in due course release a reassuring image to thank the public for their support amid her health battles,” he added.
Catherine has not appeared officially in public since she underwent major abdominal surgery at the private London clinic on January 16, triggering an avalanche of speculation over her Unknown health condition.
The Sunday Times quoted a friend as saying: “They will want to be clear and more open, but they’ll do it when they feel ready. I would expect that to be her instinct and it will be her call. They’re not going to be rushed.”
The source speculated that Catherine and William, who are most at ease when in public interacting with royal fans, may discuss her “recovery out in public.”
Kate is not expected to return to frontline duties until she feels well enough and ready.
Prince Louis Arthur Charles was born on April 23, 2018, in the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, London, and he is the Prince and Princess of Wales’ second son and youngest child.
The Prince’s birthday is closely followed by older sister Princess Charlotte’s, who will be celebrating her eighth birthday on May 2.
Photos from previous years showed him riding on his bike before his first day of nursery school for his third birthday, making colourful handprint art for his second year and beaming for the camera for his first birthday.
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