Getting bigger! Prince William and Princess Kate‘s son Prince Louis looked all grown up in his official birthday portrait.
The royal family released a new photo of Louis as he prepares to turn 5 years old on Sunday, April 23.
Louis wears a blue sweater and shorts as he smiles in the birthday portrait. He looks delighted as he is being pushed in a wheelbarrow by Princess Kate.
“Someone’s turning 5 tomorrow… 🎂,” the official Instagram account for William and Kate captioned two photos of the couple’s youngest child. “A very happy birthday to Prince Louis.”
His mom didn’t take his birthday photo this year. Portrait photographer Millie Pilkington did the honors.
Last year, Kate, 41, was behind the camera for the little one’s birthday photos, which were shared via Instagram. “4 years old tomorrow!” read a caption from the duchess and William, 40, in April 2022.
The post featured two pics of Louis playing on a beach in a gray sweater, which was adorned with colorful stars on the front, and a pair of teal shorts. In one silly snap, the young prince ran toward the camera with a big grin on his face.
The Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed their third child in April 2018. Louis joined older siblings Prince George, born in July 2013, and Princess Charlotte, born in May 2015.
One year after becoming a big sister, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that Charlotte had a “great bond” with both George and Louis. “She is really enjoying having a younger brother to play with. She’s taking her big sister duties very seriously. She won’t leave baby Louis’ side,” the insider added in May 2018.
The future king, meanwhile, has been “protective” of Charlotte and Louis, per the source.
As the littlest Cambridge as grown up, he’s slowly joined his siblings and parents in the spotlight. Louis’ mischievous personality was meme-worthy at Queen Elizabeth II‘s Trooping the Colour celebration in June 2022 as he watched from the balcony of Buckingham Palace with George, Charlotte and their great-grandmother.
At one point during the festivities, Elizabeth encouraged Louis to look at the planes flying overhead. While he initially gave a big wave to the sky, he was later seen dramatically covering his ears to block the noise from the jets.
Photos of Louis’ funny reaction quickly went viral — and even William and Kate seemed to get in on the joke. The royal couple shared a recap of the queen’s Platinum Jubilee via Twitter, teasing, “We all had an incredible time, especially Louis… 👀.”
The long-reigning monarch died at age 96 three months after the jubilee in September 2022. George and Charlotte attended her state funeral that month, but Louis stayed home.
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“Kate and William flip-flopped over whether Louis should attend the queen’s funeral,” a source exclusively told Us at the time. “[They] came to the conclusion that the procession and service would be too lengthy and overwhelming for their youngest to handle and digest.”
