Prince Louis turned 8 years old on April 23
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Kate Middleton and Prince William celebrated their youngest son's big day by sharing a new royal portrait of Louis
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Louis' older sister, Princess Charlotte, turns 11 in May, while big brother Prince George turns 13 in July
Happy birthday,Prince Louis!
Kate MiddletonandPrince William's youngest child celebrated his eighth birthday on Thursday, April 23. The family marked the occasion by continuing a royal tradition, sharing a new photo of the young prince.
The picture was taken in Cornwall earlier this month by Matt Porteous.
The Prince and Princess of Wales release a portrait of each of their three children —Prince George, 12,Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis — every year as a way of acknowledging well-wishers who reach out to wish them a happy birthday. While professional photographers sometimes take the snaps for the family,Kate, 44, has also gotten behind the camerafor the annual photos.
Last year's birthday portraitmarked a notable, grown-up change for Louis. In addition to missing his two front teeth, he was also wearing jeans,marking the first timethat the young prince wore long pants rather than shorts in a birthday picture.
It's classic fashion for upper-class boys in Britain to wear shorts with knee socks instead of pants —even in cold weather. Both Prince William, 43, andPrince Harry, 41, wore shorts with long socks when they were young, and Prince George and Prince Louis continued the trend into the next generation.
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Royal watchers couldn't help but notice that the youngest Wales sibling looked even more grown-up duringhis first public appearance this year. He and Prince George matched their father in dark blue suits, white shirts and light blue ties as the royal family stepped out for Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, located on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
There are some big changes ahead for the Prince and Princess of Wales' family this year. Prince George turns 13 in July and will continue his education at a new school. The frontrunners are thought to be Eton College, William's alma mater, or Marlborough College, where Kate attended, while Charlotte and Louis continue at Lambrook School.
Despite the fact that George ison a unique path as the eventual heir to the throne, a royal biographer recently said thatPrince William— in the midst of a years-long feud with his own brother,Prince Harry—is committed toavoiding the "spare problem"with his younger children.
"I am told that the heir to the throne, Prince William, is preoccupied with the built-in risk of primogeniture’s cruelty,"Princess Dianabiographer and formerVanity Faireditor-in-chief Tina Brown wrote in a March installment of her Substack,Fresh Hell.
"He is determined that his second- and third-born children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, are well-prepared and well-financed for independent lives and will not fall into the same cycle of thwarted freedom," alleged the author ofThe Diana Chronicles.
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