All Eyes Will Be On Kate Middleton When Prince Louis Celebrates His Upcoming Birthday
It may be Prince Louis' sixth birthday on April 23, 2024, but it's what Catherine, Princess of Wales will (or won't) do for his birthday that is top of mind for some royal fans — will we get a photo of Louis taken by Kate this year? Will we get a photo of Louis at all? Traditionally, his parents have shared at least one previously unshared photo of Louis on his birthday. For his thirdand fourth birthdays, those portraits were taken by Kate herself. For his fifth birthday, however, the pictures were by a professional photographer.
But this year is different. This year, Louis' birthday follows the disastrous sharing of what had at first seemed like a nice shot of Kate with her three children on Mother's Day. That photo, which now includes a disclaimer on Instagram, was determined to have been edited, causing a number of media outlets to recall it. Kate ended up confessing to having edited the Mother's Day photo. After that, another snap taken by Kate — one with the Queen and her grandchildren in 2022 — was also found to have been edited.
The birthday tradition of sharing a photo will continue when Prince Louis turns 6
We're certain that Prince Louis will have some kind of birthday celebration with his family, and a royal aide told The Times that Catherine, Princess of Wales and William, Prince of Wales do plan to release a photo of their youngest son in honor of his birthday. "They appreciate the public's love and affection for their children and know there is a public appetite to see them on their birthdays," the aide said.
The young prince's sweet and fun-loving nature has certainly endeared him to royal fans, like when Louis' silly personality stole the show at Queen's Platinum Jubilee. So sharing a photo of Louis could provide a sense of normalcy and a welcome distraction from the drama that the royals have been dealing with in recent weeks. Along with Kate's diagnosis and the swirling conspiracies about Kate's whereabouts after the Mother's Day photo, King Charles III has also been undergoing cancer treatment.
But while we have the answer to question about whether we'll be getting a birthday pic, the other question still remains. Will the photo of Louis be taken by Kate? That, we're much less certain about. All the scrutiny that the Mother's Day photo got was surely stressful for Kate and William. Considering the fact that she's still undergoing cancer treatment and recovery, it would seem likely that she and her family are doing everything they can to reduce stress.
Kate Middleton may not want to deal with the possibility of more negative attention
If the Prince Louis birthday photo is taken by Kate, there's pretty much a 100% chance that it will be intensely scrutinized for any evidence of editing. We wouldn't blame the Wales family if this year (of all years), they decide to go with a professional photographer as they face the prospect of going through another round of negative headlines about photoshop fails while dealing with the much more real concerns surrounding Kate's health.
It is nice to see the royal kids through Kate's eyes and lens though. The princess has long loved photography, and her children have been a favorite subject. Many of the birthday pics of the royal kids have been taken by Kate, and they all seem to give a special insight into the personalities of the young royals and a behind-the-scenes look at their lives.
While Louis' sixth birthday is coming soon, Princess Charlotte's ninth birthday follows it not longer after in May, and Prince George is turning 11 in July. The attention over all three birthday snaps will certainly be elevated this year, no matter who the photographer is. Only time will tell if that's Kate.