Royal fans are used to seeing Princess Kate take the sweet birthday portraits of her children each year, but she made a major switch to the tradition on Wednesday, April 23. For Prince Louis's seventh birthday, the Prince and Princess of Wales chose to use a professional photographer instead of a picture taken by Kate. In a first for the Royal Family, they also released a behind-the-scenes video of little Louis that showed off his playful personality—and the decision could mark a shift in how the couple shares moments of their children following Kate's 2024 photo editing incident.
Prince Louis, who was born on April 23, 2018, wears a green v-neck sweater over a checked white shirt and jeans in his birthday portrait as he sits on a log (and reveals his missing front teeth). The photo was taken by Josh Shinner, who previously snapped the family's 2023 black-and-white Christmas card photo.
"Wishing Prince Louis a very Happy 7th Birthday! 🎂" the celebratory post read, but several hours later, William and Kate surprised fans with a second birthday tribute to Louis. In a royal first, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a video of Prince Louis posing during the photoshoot, and fans got to hear a rare clip of his adorable voice.
"I can jump down from here!" Louis says before the camera splits into thirds and shows him leaping off a log in the woodland setting. The Reel, captioned "📽️🎞️ Seven today!" also shows Louis grinning at the camera and posing for the official birthday photo that was shared earlier in the day.
Although the Princess of Wales continued her tradition of taking Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis's birthday photos last year, she was forced to an issue an apology after eagle-eyed fans spotted she'd edited the Mother's Day snapshot of herself and the children.
Many royal experts wondered if the Prince and Princess of Wales would release photos of their children ever again after the incident, but Kate carried on with her usual birthday portraits in 2024.
However, choosing a trusted professional photographer like Shinner could be a move to help eliminate potential scrutiny over how the future queen's photos are taken or edited. And adding the surprise of a casual video still gives fans a personal touch—and a rare look at what Prince Louis is really like.
The couple's Instagram followers were thrilled over the clip, like one who wrote, "Love this! Thank you for sharing this special video of Prince Louis with us. We truly appreciate it!"
"Beautiful boy! Beautiful life! Thank you for sharing him with us. Xoxo Happy Birthday!" another fan added.
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