Why Kate Middleton and Prince William Waited Longer Than Usual to Release Prince Louis' Birthday Photo

The Prince and Princess of Wales published a new portrait of their youngest son on his actual birthday for the first time

Kate Middleton and Prince William didn't follow their usual protocol when it came to Prince Louis’ latest birthday portrait.

Prince Louis turned 6 on April 23, and the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a new portrait of their youngest son on his actual birthday. Prince William, 41, and Princess Kate, 42, traditionally released birthday portraits on the day before the milestone in years past for Prince Louis as well as his siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

It's understood that the delay related to a desire for privacy after the Princess of Wales shared on March 22 that she was undergoing treatment for cancer. She similarly expressed the sentiment in her self-written speech.

"We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment," Princess Kate said in the video filmed in Windsor's garden.

The remark followed her comment that she and Prince William took time to "explain everything" to Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis "in a way that is appropriate for them and to reassure them that I am going to be okay."

Related: Kate Middleton and Prince William Receive New Roles from King Charles, Including a Royal First for the Princess!

Princess Kate acted as the photographer for Prince Louis’ 6th birthday portrait, which PEOPLE understands was taken in Windsor in the last few days.

PEOPLE understands that the Prince and Princess of Wales decided to release the photo to acknowledge well-wishers who wished Prince Louis a happy birthday.

"Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! Thank you for all the kind wishes today," read the caption of the photo shared across the royal couple’s shared social media channels.

Related: Prince Louis Wears Go-to Uniform in 6th Birthday Portrait — and Other Details You May Have Missed

Like Princess Kate’s hobby of baking homemade birthday cakes, it’s been a tradition for the Prince and Princess of Wales to release a new portrait (or portraits) of their children each year for their birthdays, dating back to when Prince George was a baby.

Prince Louis' birthday portrait marked the first official image released by the family since controversy surrounded a photo of Princess Kate with her three children that was released for Mother's Day in the U.K. last month. After the photo, which was the first official portrait featuring the Princess of Wales amid private recovery following her abdominal surgery in January, was pulled by multiple news agencies due to suspicions of manipulation, Kate said in a statement, "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day."

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On the eve of Prince Louis’ 5th birthday in April 2023, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared two new photos of their youngest son taken by photographer Millie Pilkington. The first photo showed Louis being pushed in a wheelbarrow by his mom and the second was a smiling closeup of the young prince.

"Someone's turning 5 tomorrow… 🎂 🥳 A very happy birthday to Prince Louis," the post was captioned.

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