Happy birthday, Prince Louis!
On Tuesday, Prince William and Princess Catherine‘s youngest child turned 6! To mark the special occasion, the parents released a new portrait of the young boy per tradition — and yes, it was taken by Kate Middleton despite her recent photoshop controversy!
In the new pic, Louis smiled for the camera while lying on his stomach on a grassy field in a patterned button-down shirt. It was a close-up shot with no one else in the frame. Ch-ch-check it out (below)!
Cute!!
He’s starting to look so much like his big brother Prince George!!
Related: William Makes Important Vow Amid Catherine’s Cancer Battle
As you can see, the family kept the caption short and sweet, simply saying:
“Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! Thank you for all the kind wishes today. The Princess of Wales”
Shocking that after everything that went down, Kate is STILL getting the photo credit!
As Perezcious readers know, before the 42-year-old announced she was diagnosed with cancer, she became the center of mass conspiracy theories about her health and whereabouts — some of which were spurred on by the theory that she released a heavily edited family photo amid the madness. The rumors were ultimately true, and she later owned up to the photoshop fail. That caused the family to become an untrustworthy source for many major media outlets. And yet, despite all this, the Princess of Wales is carrying on her tradition of being the family photographer! An interesting choice!
But it seems The Firm is already trying to get ahead of any unwanted speculation. A source insisted to ET that the image is unedited. LOLz! They clearly don’t want anyone overanalyzing the pic. Too bad that likely won’t stop folks from trying to find something strange about the snapshot! As for why the family released it, the same insider said they wanted to share a photo of the little royal to thank everyone for sending in b-day wishes. The co-parents are said to be “grateful” for the ongoing support amid this “unprecedented time.”
Louis is the first Wales kid to have a birthday since their mother was diagnosed with cancer. While this year’s festivities may look different than years prior, they will still find a way to celebrate. A palace insider told the New York Post:
“With Kate’s health — and knowing what Kate is like as a person — she wants her son to have the best birthday possible, like any mother. … She’s still going to try to make sure the day is as normal and as much fun for that child as possible, especially when they’re of that young age.”
King Charles III‘s former butler Grant Harrold also told the outlet:
“In the past, there have been birthday parties where friends have been invited, with little George there were friends invited for parties and I believe Kate would have organized that.”
But that may not be the case this time around, he predicted:
“Celebrations will be more reserved and low key and there might not be a party with other children like there has been in previous years.”
While Kate once said she loved to stay up until midnight to bake cakes before her kids’ birthdays, it’s unclear if she’ll be able to do that now amid her cancer treatment. But even her struggling health won’t stop her from doing something special for her boy, Harrold added:
“Kate’s health will be a priority, but she’ll still want Louis to have as much fun as possible — how that takes shape, they may want to choose to keep private. … As a family, however, you can guarantee they will still be celebrating his birthday in some form and as normal as possible to make it a memorable day. … They’re a very private family as we know and I can imagine on this occasion, I’m sure it’ll be a private family occasion.”
Next week, the family will be celebrating Princess Charlotte‘s birthday, as well. So, this is an exciting time for them! Hopefully, all this celebrating sparks some much-needed joy for them during Kate’s scary cancer journey! We hope Louis has a wonderful birthday overall. He’s growing up so fast! Share your wishes for him (below)!
[Image via MEGA/WENN]