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Prince Louis Looks All Grown Up in Adorable New Portrait for His 8th Birthday

On Thursday, Prince William and Kate Middleton shared a photo of Louis with a simple caption.

Prince Louis always attracts massive attention whenever he steps into the public eye, charming royal watchers with his cheeky expressions and playful antics. Today, the spotlight is once again on one of the youngest royals as he celebrates his eighth birthday. To mark the special occasion, his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, have followed a long-held tradition by releasing a brand new portrait of their youngest son on their social media channels. The photograph has already captured many hearts and highlighted just how quickly the little royal is growing up.

On Thursday morning, Prince William and Kate Middleton shared a photograph of Louis with a simple caption that read, "Happy birthday, Louis! 8 today! [Balloon emoji]." As reported by HELLO Magazine, it was taken by the family’s go-to photographer, Matt Porteous, and captures a radiant Louis against the stunning Cornish coastline, where the Wales family recently spent a peaceful break. The young royal looked notably smart in a blue textured quarter-zip, casually leaning against a boat’s metal gate with his arms folded.

The comment section of the post was soon flooded with birthday wishes, as netizens pointed out how fast Louis is growing up. One X (formerly Twitter) user, who goes by the username @desertflower_ps, wrote, "Just love Louis. How fast time flies. I can't believe he is 8 yr old today. Happy Birthday, Louis! He makes me smile when I see him. He is just a joy." Another user, @PlanCC_C, commented, "Happy birthday, Louis! 8 already? That pic is adorable. Kids are growing up fast." Similarly, @nanaofthenorth0 stated, "What a lovely photo, looking so grown up. Happy birthday, Prince Louis hope you have the best of days."

With his eighth birthday falling on a Thursday this year, it was speculated that the young Prince would mark the day at Lambrook School in Berkshire, celebrating with his friends. He is currently enrolled in the school alongside his older siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Moreover, considering the past remarks made by Kate, Louis can likely look forward to a delicious homemade birthday cake. 

Previously, the Princess of Wales shared her fondness for baking her children’s birthday cakes from scratch, making their day extra special. She said, "I love making the cake. It's become a bit of a tradition that I stay up 'til midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing, and I make far too much. But I love it." Meanwhile, on their official Instagram page, Kate and William also shared a BTS video clip which was reportedly captured during Louis’ birthday shoot, as reported by E! News. It features the now-8-year-old prince enjoying his vacation by playing in the sand, running along a beach, and jumping into the sea. The caption of this post stated, "Thank you for all the birthday wishes for Prince Louis. 8 is great!"