Prince William And Kate Middleton Break Two Major Royal Traditions On Louis’ Birthday

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s third child, Louis Arthur Charles Mountbatten-Windsor, turned 7 last month, on April 23. The Prince and Princess of Wales marked the joyful occasion by sharing an adorable photo of the young royal on social media. However, this came with a break in royal tradition, as the couple shared the picture on the morning of Louis’s big day, when traditionally, birthday portraits of royal children are released at midnight.

Prince Louis, who is fourth in line to the throne, flashed a cheeky, toothless grin in his birthday portrait. According to the Daily Mail, Middleton, an avid photographer, didn’t seem to have taken the photo herself this year as she has done in the past. Instead, she enlisted one of the Waleses’ family photographers, Josh Shinner, to capture the special moment. The move, hence, was another surprising break from tradition.

Commenting on the same, royal expert Emily Nash opined that occasionally, the Princess of Wales has stepped outside her comfort zone to employ other photographers. Speaking on Hello!’s Rights Royal Podcast, she explained, “I know it's what we have come to expect from her, haven't we, over the years, because she does it really well…But you know, occasionally, she has gone for people outside the family, as we know in recent years.” The expert added, “So Josh Shinner, who took this one, for example, he did the family's 2023 Christmas card, the black and white portrait of them with the studio background in the past…So it is not unheard of for her to look outside and look elsewhere.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales also shared an adorable behind-the-scenes video of the birthday photoshoot. As per People magazine, the video, captioned “Seven today!” shows Louis posing outdoors and having fun, grinning with his face right up in the lens. At one point, the young Prince is heard speaking, “I can jump down from there,” pointing before giving the camera a cheeky smirk. A few seconds later, he is shown leaping from the top of a large log. The adorable video was, however, unexpected, considering the Waleses have only released portraits of their three children each year on their birthdays to acknowledge well-wishers.

William and Middleton reportedly took extra care when releasing unedited photos of Louis for his 7th birthday. The move came after immense backlash in 2024, when Middleton faced criticism for heavily editing a Mother’s Day portrait of herself with their three children. It was later reported that the Princess of Wales was secretly undergoing cancer treatment, which is why she could not pose physically for a portrait, as per Metro UK.