Cambridges share first-birthday photos of Prince Louis
Prince Louis, in a first-birthday photo taken by his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge. Photo: Twitter/Kensington Palace
Kate Middleton has kept up a family tradition by releasing candid new photos of her youngest son Prince Louis to celebrate his first birthday on Tuesday.
The shots went viral, drawing over 770,000 likes three hours after being shared on the Kensington Royal Instagram account.
As with all the snaps she’s shared of her three children – Louis, Prince George, 5, and Princess Charlotte, who turns four on May 2 – the Duchess of Cambridge was behind the camera.
Kate, who studied art history at the University of St Andrews, took the photos of her little boy earlier this month in the garden of the family’s Georgian country pile, Anmer Hall, in Norfolk.
In the new set of, he’s proudly showing off his two front bottom teeth.
“He really is the most cheerful, smiley little boy – he’s always so happy and content,” a source told People.
Louis’ style is the same old-school posh look George and Charlotte have always worn: a red jumper over an Amaia bodysuit with Peter Pan collar worn with navy shorts and knee socks, and a blue Trotters knit with a puppy motif.
During a visit to a children’s centre in March, Kate revealed Louis is an active soon-to-be toddler with a definite personality.
“He just wants to pull himself up all the time,” she told a fellow parent.
“He’s got these little walkers and is bombing around on them.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to share three 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. pic.twitter.com/VOJ7rhKthz
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) April 22, 2019
In the first birthday photos, Prince Louis Arthur Charles – fifth in line to the British throne – looks a lot like his big brother, George, and his dad, William, when they were a similar age.
Welcome to the world, Louis! Photo: Getty
The little boy made his debut in Kate’s arms as he was shown off to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, just hours after he was born on April 23, 2018.
The name Louis is also one of George’s middle names and pays tribute to the Prince of Wales’s great-uncle, Earl Mountbatten, who was killed by the IRA.
Kate took the first official portraits of her third child, released two weeks after his birth.
A shot of Louis in a white onesie was taken when he was three days old. Another showed him being cuddled and kissed by sister Charlotte.
Royals watchers last saw the young prince make his debut in his family’s 2018 Christmas card.
Cuddled in his mother’s arms, he looked straight at the camera. Less compliant was George, perched behind his father, who is seen kicking up one leg in the natural-but-not shot.
The Cambridges have otherwise carefully guarded the privacy of their youngest.
Since his birth and until Tuesday’s images, he has been photographed only at his christening in July 2018 and in official pictures to mark the 70th birthday of his grandfather, Prince Charles, and Christmas.
When his siblings had official roles at the May wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Louis was deemed to young for the big family occasion.
His birthday comes as he is expected to be joined within days by a new cousin.
The first baby of his uncle Harry and aunt Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, is reportedly due late this month or in early May.
-with AAP
Tasmania voters deny Libs a majority
Hung parliament likely as Tasmania goes to the polls
