Kate Middleton and Prince William are slowly and subtly developing their own royal rules. The Prince and Princess of Wales broke with tradition by sharing a new photo of their son, Prince Louis, on Instagram on April 23 to mark his sixth birthday.
The new photo shows Louis rolling on a picnic blanket in the grass and flashing a huge smile for the camera. "Happy 6th birthday, Prince Louis! Thank you all for your kind wishes today," his parents wrote in the post.
Since 2019, a new photo of Louis will be released every year on his birthday. Like every year, Middleton took this portrait. However, the couple broke with tradition by posting the photo much later in the day than usual and without first sharing it with publications during the embargo.
However, some royal followers are unsure whether to expect a portrait this year, given the family's recent request for privacy after Middleton shared her cancer diagnosis in March. She is currently in the early stages of preventive chemotherapy and a date for her return to royal duties remains uncertain.
According to People , William and Middleton ultimately decided to keep up their tradition to "thank the well-wishers" who reached out to their son on his birthday.
The photo was taken in recent days and had not been edited in any way, the outlet reported. It follows controversy in March when the media refused to publish a Mother's Day photo of Middleton, Louis and their siblings, Prince George, 10, and Princess Charlotte, 8, due to apparent manipulation. The Associated Press retracted the photo after learning it had been altered.
Middleton was responsible for the doctored image on the Prince and Princess of Wales' X (formerly Twitter) account. “Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally try my hand at editing,” she says. "I would like to apologize for any confusion caused by the family photos we shared yesterday. I hope everyone celebrating had a happy Mother's Day. C."
