- Prince Louis turns 7 on Wednesday, April 23, and to mark the occasion, his parents, Kate Middleton and Prince William, released an adorable new portrait
- The image shows a relaxed-looking, smiling Louis sitting on a log in a flower-filled garden
- The photograph was taken by photographer Josh Shinner, who also snapped the image the Prince and Princess of Wales used on their Christmas card in 2023
Prince Louis is turning 7!
Kate Middleton and Prince William continued a royal tradition, sharing an adorable new photo of their youngest son in honor of his seventh birthday on Wednesday, April 23.
The image, taken by photographer Josh Shinner, shows a relaxed-looking Louis sitting on a log in a flower-filled garden wearing a plaid shirt, jeans, and a dark green sweater. The prince’s wide smile in the snap shows off the baby teeth that he has lost. His parents captioned the photograph, “Wishing Prince Louis a very Happy 7th Birthday! 🎂”
Daniel Leal – WPA Pool/Getty
Shinner has photographed the family before, most memorably taking the black-and-white portrait which they used on their Christmas card in 2023.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have released a portrait of each of their three children — Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis — every year as a way of acknowledging well-wishers who reach out to wish them a happy birthday. While professional photographers have taken the snaps before, Kate has often gotten behind the camera for the annual photos.
Last year, Princess Kate snapped an unedited photo of Louis that was shared for his sixth birthday. The portrait came weeks after she controversially edited a photo that had been taken by Prince William to mark Mother’s Day in the U.K.
Prince Louis’ fifth birthday was marked with two smiling snaps taken by photographer Millie Pilkington, while four photos of Louis playing on the beach were released in honor of his fourth birthday. The young royal’s third birthday coincided with his first week of nursery school, and he posed sporting a backpack on his red bike.
CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty
Louis’ second birthday came amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and he got messy with some paint while creating rainbow art as a symbol of hope and support for the National Health Service. Kate also snapped the photos that were shared for her son’s first birthday in 2019.
Prince Louis has joined the royal family for public events over the past couple years, and he most recently joined their annual Christmas Day church outing with his parents and siblings.
Mark Cuthbert/UK Press/Getty
The Sun reported that the well-wishers gathered outside the mass could hear Rev. Canon Paul Williams’ sermon inside the church via speakers — and that Louis’ participation was “greeted by peals of laughter.” When the clergyman asked if the children had received any sweets for Christmas, Louis “was heard happily answering loudly,” responding with an enthusiastic, “Marshmallows!”
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Following Prince Louis’ birthday, Prince William and Princess Kate have several family milestones to look forward to in the coming weeks. The couple will have their 14th wedding anniversary on April 29, Princess Charlotte’s 10th birthday is on May 2.
