Prince Julian of Sweden is celebrating his fifth birthday – and the palace has released an adorable new portrait to mark the occasion.
The young royal, who is the third son of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, is currently seventh in line to the Swedish throne and was born in 2021.
To mark Julian's birthday on 26 March, his parents shared a new portrait on their official Instagram account, @prinsparet, captioned: "Today we celebrate our beloved Julian who turns 5 years old."
With his very cheeky grin and surrounded by white birthday balloons, the new pictures were very reminiscent of Prince Louis, the youngest son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, who is known for his engaging personality.
In the photos, Julian was wearing a green polo shirt and appeared to be celebrating at home. Like Louis, he is the grandson of his country's King and Queen, Carl Gustaf and Silvia. In many ways, he resembles his father, Prince Carl Philip, with his curly blonde locks at a similar age. It delighted royal fans, who rushed to exclaim that the new photograph was "so sweet".
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia have four children: Prince Alexander, 9, Prince Gabriel, 8, Prince Julian, and Princess Ines, one.
Last year's photographs
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia shared a similar photo last year, with Julian's bright blue eyes looking directly into the camera and an adorable smile on his face.
Julian, dressed in a white collared top with navy piping and a baby blue cardigan, was seen giggling with his hands over his mouth in the second shot. The caption read: "Today we celebrate our exuberant Julian who turns 4 years old."
© Alamy Stock PhotoWhen Sofia and Carl Philip announced Julian's arrival in 2021, Sofia wrote in an emotional message translated from Swedish: "Life has given me not just one but four beautiful princes. A heartfelt thank you from us for all the warm congratulations in connection with Julian's birth."
© Getty ImagesThe young prince's full name, Prince Julian Herbert Folke of Sweden, Duke of Halland, was revealed a few days later. Julian was the first grandchild of King Carl Gustaf to be born without the style of Royal Highness.
A new addition to the family
In February last year, the royal family welcomed Princess Ines at the Danderyd Hospital in Stockholm.
© Getty ImagesThe couple later shared a sweet picture of Ines with her three older brothers. "It turned out to be a perfect little quartet," their proud parents captioned the shots, adding: "Big and warm thanks for all the nice congratulations to our little Ines."
Like her brothers, Princess Ines does not have an HRH title - in line with the King's decision on changes in the Royal House in 2019 - but she was made Duchess of Västerbotten. The changes also apply to Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill's children and mean that they will not be expected to perform royal duties in the future.
Ines celebrated her first birthday last month, with her parents also sharing a traditional picture to mark the occasion.
