Prince Louis is 6!
Kate Middleton and Prince William shared an adorable new photo of their youngest child on Tuesday, his sixth birthday.
“Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis!” read the post on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ social media accounts. “Thank you for all the kind wishes today.”
The photo was credited to the Princess of Wales.
Prince Louis Arthur Charles was born on April 23, 2018, at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. He is fourth in line to the throne, behind older siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Royal followers learned last year that Kate has a sweet nickname for her youngest son, whom she called “Lou Bugs” at a coronation event.
Though the Prince and Princess of Wales have always released photos of their children for their birthdays and other special occasions, this one comes at an especially difficult time for the royal family.
The Princess of Wales shared in March that she was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, after she was away from the public eye for an extended period of time.
Kensington Palace announced in January that Kate had undergone a planned abdominal surgery and would be away from royal duties until sometime after Easter. Her condition was initially thought to be noncancerous.
Prior to Kate’s diagnosis being shared in late March, the palace released the first official photo of the princess since she’d undergone surgery, a portrait in honour of Mother’s Day.
Multiple photo agencies later alleged that the family photo was digitally altered, prompting the Princess of Wales to issue an apology the following day.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” the royal wrote in a tweet released on X. “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.”