Inside the Princess of Wales' special bond with her youngest child Prince Louis
King George VI famously said of his two daughters, "Lilibet is my pride; Margaret is my joy."
Decades later, Queen Elizabeth II's grandson, Prince William, would go on to welcome three children with Catherine, Princess of Wales – Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, who turns six today.
While neither William nor Catherine have been quite as blunt as the former monarch when it comes to describing their children, it is undeniable Louis – who has publicly, for better or for worse, been branded "cheeky" like his paternal uncle, Prince Harry – is a joy for the Wales family, in particular, his mother.
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Catherine and Louis share a special bond, which was on full display at the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. Getty
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It is Catherine, after all, who was famously filmed wrangling Louis during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, when his famously filmed wrangling Louis during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022.
Then, at King Charles III's coronation in May 2023, Louis, sat next to Catherine, was photographed yawning during the ceremony before photographed yawning during the ceremony.
Later, on Buckingham Palace's balcony, Catherine couldn't contain her smile as Louis made faces to the crowd below.
Catherine, Princess of Wales releases birthday portrait of Prince Louis in 2024
Louis' sixth birthday on April 23, 2024 resulted in a surprise reappearance of Kate and her photography skills.
Catherine's special bond with her "Lou Bugs" was on full display after she released a sweet birthday portrait for her youngest child.
The birthday boy looked grown up in a check shirt as he lay on a picnic blanket barefoot on the grass, smiling at his mum, who returned behind the camera.
Kate is credited for the image, which was shared with fans on social media, alongside a short caption.
"Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis!," the post began, followed by a cake emoji.
"Thank you for all the kind wishes today."
It's a tradition that royal experts tipped wouldn't be repeated this year, with Louis' sixth birthday coming weeks after Catherine, who is recovering from cancer, found herself embroiled in two photo editing controversies.
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Catherine could not contain her smile at Louis' antics on Buckingham Palace's balcony during Charles' coronation. Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty Images
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How Prince Louis is celebrating his sixth birthday with his family
While Catherine, William, George, Charlotte and Louis have largely been keeping a low profile in public in the wake of Catherine's diagnosis, the Princess of Wales has previously spoken about how the family usually celebrates the children's birthdays in private.
"I love making the cake," Catherine told BBC's A Berry Royal Christmas in 2019 during an interview alongside William.
"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."
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Catherine is pictured here with her 'Lou Bugs' in a photo that was shared by Kensington Palace for Mother's Day in 2019. Matt Porteus/Kensington Palace
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Inside Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince Louis' special relationship
Catherine and William are notoriously protective of George, Charlotte and Louis, opting to give them as much of a 'normal' upbringing as possible.
The trio are in the midst of growing up in the public eye, and while Louis is growing up, his mother has admitted in the past that her "Lou Bugs" will always be "[her] baby".
"I keep thinking Louis is my baby, but he's a proper boy now," Catherine said during a visit to Little Village in Brent in July 2022, per People.
When the late Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, Catherine was filmed speaking with well-wishers outside Windsor Castle, revealing per NBC News, "My little Louis is just so sweet. He said, 'Mummy don't worry, because she's now with great-grandpa.'"
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It was during this December 2020 appearance that royal watchers began commenting on Louis' resemblance to Catherine's father, Michael Middleton. Getty
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It is also Louis who, of Catherine's three children, royal watchers say looks the most like the Middleton side of the family, with many highlighting his resemblance to Catherine's father, Michael Middleton, following the family's December 2020 appearance at The National Lottery's Pantoland pantomime at The Palladium.
"Louis looks like Kate's father," one royal fan commented on Kensington Royal's Instagram post, which recapped the event.
Another wrote: "They all look wonderful! And Louis looks a lot like [Catherine's] father."
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