The Prince and Princess of Wales are celebrating a major family milestone today as their youngest child, Prince Louis, turns eight years old. To mark the special occasion, Prince William and Kate upheld their long-standing family tradition of releasing a brand new portrait of the young royal.
Taking to their official social media channels on Thursday morning, the proud parents shared a sweet new photograph of Louis, simply captioning the post: "Happy birthday, Louis! 8 today! [Balloon emoji]."
In a stunning new portrait, captured by the family's trusted photographer Matt Porteous, a beaming Prince Louis looks remarkably grown-up against the picturesque backdrop of the Cornish coast, where the family enjoyed a quiet getaway earlier this month.
The young royal, so often celebrated for his mischievous antics, wore a smart blue textured quarter-zip as he leaned against a metal gate of a boat, with his arms folded.
Prince Louis Arthur Charles was born on 23 April 2018, at the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London.
Over the years, he has firmly established himself as a fan favourite among royal watchers, largely thanks to his cheeky personality, enthusiastic waving and scene-stealing moments at major royal events, including the Platinum Jubilee and the King's Coronation.
School celebrations likely at Lambrook
As his eighth birthday falls on a Thursday this year, Louis will likely spend the daytime celebrating with his friends at Lambrook School in Berkshire, where he is currently a pupil alongside his older siblings, Prince George, 12, and Princess Charlotte, ten.
© Samir Hussein./WireImageThe family will no doubt mark the occasion privately at their home in Windsor later this evening.
Kate's homemade cake tradition continues
If his mum Kate's previous comments are anything to go by, Louis is guaranteed to have a spectacular homemade birthday cake waiting for him. The royal mother-of-three has previously spoken about her love for baking her children's cakes from scratch, revealing: "I love making the cake."
She added: "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."
A busy season of celebrations for the Wales family
© Getty ImagesPrince Louis' special day officially kicks off a particularly busy period of celebrations for the Wales family.
In just a few days, Prince William and Kate will mark their milestone 15th wedding anniversary on 29 April, which is then closely followed by Princess Charlotte's 11th birthday on 2 May.
