William and Kate release new Prince Louis photo to mark his sixth birthday
The Prince and Princess of Wales have released a portrait of Prince Louis to mark his sixth birthday.
The image, which was taken by Kate in Windsor, has not been edited according to Palace sources.
It was released to thank those who have sent birthday wishes – five weeks after a Mother’s Day picture sparked global furore.
The image will be a welcome sight for Royal fans, some of whom speculated that no picture would be posted to avoid further scandal.
A Royal aide revealed in March that “no firm” decision had been made about a birthday photograph, but acknowledged “the public’s love and affection for [the] children and [the fact] there is a public appetite to see them on their birthdays”.
It was widely reported this morning that there may well be no picture of Louis today, as the press are typically given access to an embargoed image of the Royal children ahead of their birthdays – something which did not happen today.
The decision to post the picture comes after the photo manipulation scandal that took place earlier this year when Kensington Palace shared a picture of the Princess of Wales and her children to mark Mother’s Day.
Internet sleuths speculated that the picture was not quite what it appeared to be, and they were vindicated when it was pulled from circulation by major photo agencies.
The palace subsequently admitted that the picture had been edited in a statement from Kate, who apologised for the “confusion” it might have caused – revealing that she does “occasionally experiment with editing”.
What followed was a period of intense speculation about the family as the princess had not been reliably photographed in public since Christmas Day.
While it was revealed that she was undergoing “planned abdominal surgery” in January, she was expected to return to public duties after Easter.
The princess then released a poignant video where she informed the public that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing “preventative” chemotherapy.
Prince Louis, who is beloved for his cheeky antics, was last seen in public alongside his mother on Christmas Day when the family carried out their traditional walk to church on the Sandringham Estate.
While Princess Charlotte, eight, has not been reliably seen since Christmas Day either, Prince George, 10, was seen attending a football game with his dad, Prince William, earlier this month (11 April).
The pair travelled to Birmingham where they watched Aston Villa successfully take on the French team Lille at the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-final.
