The royal family has been in the headlines for decades. After the tragic passing of Princess Diana in 1997, the world continued to pay close attention to the royals. Princess Diana left behind two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. Prince William met his wife, Kate Middleton, and they now have three beautiful children. First, the couple had Prince George, followed by Princess Charlotte, and most recently, Prince Louis.
Louis was born on Apr. 23, 2018, at the same hospital where William was born, London’s St. Mary’s hospital. The prince, who emerged at around 11 a.m., was a healthy 8 pounds, 7 ounces.
Beyond being the youngest of the Cambridge bunch, Louis is special in other ways, too. Louis is just fifth in line for the throne, preceded by grandfather Prince Charles, father William and siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Interestingly, Louis was the first male-born heir who would not precede his older sister in the royal succession.
Louis is an unusual contender for the title of Duke of Edinburgh, as the late Prince Philip notably wanted his youngest son Prince Edward to inherit it, as the Daily Mail reported. In fact, prior to Prince Edward’s marriage to his wife, it was officially stated that the Prince, lacking any royal dukedom or another title, would inherit his father’s once Philip had passed.
Being the baby of his family, Prince Louis is a fan favorite amongst the royals. Not only is he a darling little boy, but he is also one of the world’s favorite royal family members. Through his photos over the years, you can tell that Prince Louis is the charmer of the iconic family.
Louis’ birth was a monumental occasion, celebrated not only by the Cambridge household but the rest of the royal family and even their home country. According to Royal UK, parents William and Kate made sure to include their two eldest children in welcoming their third child. George and Charlotte visited Louis on the very day he was born.
A few days later, on Apr. 27, 2018, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced that they had agreed upon a name for their youngest prince, naming him Louis Arthur Charles. According to Royal UK, his formal name is His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge. Louis’ birth was registered just a few days later, and William and Kate quickly began releasing photographs of their youngest child.
In July that same year, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had their son, Louis, baptized at the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace – a tradition that many families in the royal family have followed for generations.
Since then, the tiny prince has started to slowly grow up right before our very eyes. As the years progress, Louis has started to show more of his personality and has made headlines all around the world for his cheeky behavior and adorable facial expressions. He must have some great role models to look up to in his parents, as they have instilled some strict rules for their entire Cambridge family while still making sure the kids get to have fun and feel as normal as possible despite being in line for the succession of the throne.
Looking at the interactions between the members of the Cambridge family, it’s easy to see that William and Kate really do care for their children. This is especially seen through their positive body language.
Patti Wood, who has both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Body Language and Nonverbal Communication, has analyzed the royal family before, and she talked with Insider about her discoveries in June 2019. She first explained William and Kate have exemplified positive body language over the years, from showing relaxation around one another to smiling happily with each other. At times, they have shown that they are “clearly confident and relaxed in the relationship.”
When looking at their interactions with Louis when he was born in April 2018, Wood explained how the royal couple still showed a great desire for one another. In a photograph taken on the steps outside St. Mary’s Hospital, Wood noted how William and Kate were “looking at the baby, but not leaning in as a couple,” leading to a “desire to get closer” to each other.
When speaking with Good Housekeeping in January 2018, body language expert Blanca Cobb talked about how the couple’s body language was proof that they are indeed the backbone of their family. “Overall, their attentive body language indicates that they’re in tune to their children’s emotional needs,” she said.
Dr. Amanda Gummer, a child development expert and psychologist, also chimed in and told Express UK that Kate’s parenting style is “powerful.”It’s lovely to see the Duchess demonstrate some really powerful parenting techniques,” Dr. Gummer said, adding, “(For example) a focus on playfulness and meeting the children where they are at, getting down to their level and meeting their gaze when talking to them.”
Dr. Gummer also added that Kate appears to be well-equipped to deal with the stress that comes with being a parent to children that grow up in the public eye. “It can be a real challenge for families growing up in the public eye to manage children’s natural behavior,” the expert said, adding, “The Duchess seems to be navigating that road well.”
It’s also clear that Kate and William enjoy being parents and being around their cute kids. “Both Prince William and Kate are all smiles while interacting with their children, letting us know how much they enjoy being parents,” Cobb told Good Housekeeping.
Wood had a similar analysis and especially noted how the parents have been shown to lean down to get to eye level with their kids, creating an intimate moment between the family and away from outside influences. “This behavior shows that their children are their primary focus, regardless of how many cameras are in their face,” Wood said.
Although both parents have shown positive and kind body language to each other and to their children, they showcase their love and affection in different ways. Looking more closely at how the family acts around each other, it’s apparent that William has acted as a protector with his children, specifically with his eldest son George. “William is letting his son determine how much he needs him,” Wood said. On the other hand, Kate has shown her affection for her son in a different way. “Rubbing George’s hair is not only a means of care-taking, but also a way for Kate to protect him from the cameras,” Wood added.
Growing up in such a loving household seems to have given Louis the space to fully express himself, and let us say he is quite hilarious. Louis charmed his way to the top of people’s hearts during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee over a four-day bank holiday in June 2022.
On many major news outlets, the young boy was the star of the show as he showcased his personality for the world to see. A royal insider told People that Louis is something special. “He’s a cheeky monkey — a typical third child,” said the inside source. “It’s nice that the world got to see him enjoying himself,” they added.
Another royal family expert told Marie Claire that Louis, throughout the weekend, we saw his many fun moods put on display. “At times, we saw Louis grow irritable and while him playing up made for some very comical photos, Kate — and William too — were on hand to ensure their brood (behaved),” the expert said.
We also saw the young Prince put his mother to the test with some of his craziness in the stands. From hugging Louis as he grew restless to smiling energetically at the youngster—who was clearly loving the attention—as he performed alongside her, it was clearly important for Kate to engage with her children, especially as it would have been a very long day for them,” that expert added.
Aside from being a main attraction of events from his fun and spunky personality, Louis is growing up to be a fun, handsome, and go-getter of a young child.
Louis is the youngest of the Cambridge family, and Apr. 23, 2022, marked the young royal’s 4th birthday! Parents William and Kate are undoubtedly very proud of their three children — George, Charlotte and Louis — and whenever they let the public in on some of their precious family moments, it’s incredibly heartwarming. Thanks to the royal family’s tradition, we have always been able to look forward to a new photo of Louis being released on the occasion of his birthday.
One very sweet aspect of Louis’ birthday is that it takes place a mere two days after his beloved great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s birthday. So it’s possible that the two have a deeper bond because of their birthdays being so close together, on top of the fact that they truly do love one another dearly. What a sweet family moment!
A new portrait of Louis was released for his birthday in 2021, and it was shared on the Cambridge family’s Instagram account. Taken by his mother, the image featured Louis on his red bike, as he smiled widely to the camera while dressed smartly in a navy sweater over a pinstripe collared shirt and blue shorts. The adorable picture was then uploaded to the Queen’s official Instagram account and was accompanied by a lovely caption that read:
“Wishing Prince Louis a very happy third birthday today. Taken earlier this week by The Duchess before he left for his first day of nursery, The Duke and Duchess are pleased to share a new image of Prince Louis.”
Kate, who is a keen amateur photographer, is usually behind all of the Cambridge children’s official photographs. The adorable photo of Louis for his 3rd birthday came days after a photo was released by Buckingham Palace that showed the first time he had been pictured with his great-grandmother, the Queen.
In the photo, which was also taken by the Duchess of Cambridge, the Queen and Philip were pictured sitting on a sofa surrounded by seven of their great-grandchildren. In the photo, Her Majesty held baby Louis, who was about 4 months old at the time. The lovely group photo was taken in the summer of 2018 at Balmoral Castle, the royals’ Scottish summer holiday location.
The Cambridge family’s Instagram account featured another gorgeous birthday post for Louis’ 2nd birthday in 2020. He was captured making a mess with rainbow-colored paint on his hands in it. Once again taken by the Duchess of Cambridge (she’s quite the professional photographer!), the photos have a warmth that is truly joyful.
In another post the following day, more photos of Louis from the same photo session were posted that showed that things don’t always stay clean with kids, as he had paint all over his cheeks! A few weeks after she released the photos, Middleton appeared on “This Morning” and told hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield about the chaotic behind-the-scenes of taking the photo. As reported by Hello!, the Duchess said:
“I should’ve taken a photograph of what I looked like after as well! Luckily, that wasn’t documented but I was pretty much… I looked like Louis at the end of those.”
Louis’ inner joy and happy nature are often captured in his portraits, as he’s often giggling or smiling in them. The young royal has grown up so fast that it seems like yesterday when the public got their first look at him.
Somewhat recently, the Cambridges released a family portrait for their Christmas card at the end of 2021, which was a little different from previous years. The previous two Christmas cards saw the family photographed in autumnal settings as they donned warm weather clothing.
Their 2020 photo saw the family dressed in sweaters and boots as they sat on a haystack in front of a large woodpile at Anmer Hall, their home in Norfolk. The atmosphere was very cozy and matched the colder weather of the holiday season. In the photo, Charlotte’s resemblance to her grandmother, the Queen, was well noted. The year before that, the Cambridges were similarly rugged up in sweaters as they posed in front of trees whose leaves had begun to turn color.
However, their 2021 photo was in stark contrast to the two before, as it was taken during the summer on a family trip to Jordan. In the image, the royals donned summer clothing as they posed in front of a rock wall. However, their warm, family vibe was the same as always.
For his birthday this year, the young prince is seen in two photographs, both taken by his mother. In one, Louis is running towards his mother on the beach as he grins widely, and in the other, the handsome little boy is seen posing with a ball in his hand. The photos, uploaded onto the official Twitter account of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are captioned, “4 years old tomorrow!”
What do you think of the royal family’s tradition of releasing new portraits on birthdays? Which is your favorite photo of Prince Louis? Let us know, then pass this on to any royal fans you know!
