Update: I wrote all of this up about an hour ago, and then Kensington Palace published a portrait of Louis at 7:15 am EST.
Today is Prince Louis of Wales’s sixth birthday. You might not have realized it because Kensington Palace failed to post new photos of the birthday boy ahead of time. Usually, for the Wales kids’ birthdays, Kensington Palace will publish new birthday-portraits a day or two in advance, so all of the British papers can run them. That didn’t happen for Louis’s birthday this year – no advanced photos, and they just released a pic within the past few minutes.
Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! 🎂
Thank you for all the kind wishes today.
📸 The Princess of Wales pic.twitter.com/TxshrI3WKO
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) April 23, 2024
This is the first Wales-kid birthday since Kensington Palace blamed the Princess of Wales for cobbling together the Mother’s Day frankenphoto. That Mother’s Day pic led to Reuters, AP, CNN, AFP and Getty issuing kill orders on the photo, and it also led to larger questions and investigations into palace-issued photos, some/many of which have been manipulated. AFP’s director compared KP to North Korea and it was a huge controversy. Remember when William and Kate’s advisor told the Times that the frankenphoto kill order was “hypocritical” because those media agencies have been publishing manipulated photos from the palace for a while? Yeah. It was bad.
It’s interesting that KP just went with a photo taken by Kate. For months, it felt like William and Kate’s mindset is: if you don’t like our manipulated photos, we’re just not going to issue ANY photos anymore, how about that? Like, they don’t realize that there’s a hidden option: they could just hire a real photographer to take some portraits of Louis and simply release those pics in a straight-forward fashion without manipulation.
Also: this is the first time we’ve seen Prince Louis since Christmas 2023. George was seen with his father on April 11th, at a football match. But the two younger kids had not been photographed at all since December 25, 2023. I would also argue that we have not had a credible and independently verifiable sighting of the Princess of Wales since Christmas as well.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Kensington Palace, Cover Images.
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- Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales (L) and Britain’s Prince Louis of Wales (R) watch Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (not pictured) as he uses an excavator while taking part in the Big Help Out, during a visit to the 3rd Upton Scouts Hut in Slough, west of London on May 8, 2023, where the family joined volunteers helping to renovate and improve the building. – People across Britain were on Monday asked to do their duty as the celebrations for King Charles III’s coronation drew to a close with a massive volunteering drive.,Image: 774584418, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: DANIEL LEAL / Avalon
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- FAIRFORD, ENGLAND – JULY 14: Prince Louis of Wales sits inside a vehicle on a C17 plane with Catherine, Princess of Wales during a visit to the Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford on July 14, 2023 in Fairford, England. The Prince and Princess of Wales have a strong relationship with the RAF, with the Prince having served with the Search and Rescue Force for over three years, based at RAF Valley in Anglesey. The Prince is Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Coningsby and The Princess is Honorary Air Commodore of the Air Cadets.,Image: 789121267, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon
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- Copyright in the photograph is vested in The Prince and Princess of Wales. Publications are asked to credit the photograph to Josh Shinner. The photograph shall be solely used for news editorial purposes only. It shall not be approved for souvenirs, or memorabilia; or anything colourably similar. There shall be no commercial use whatsoever of the photograph (including by way of example only) any use in merchandising, advertising or any other non news editorial use. The photograph must not be digitally enhanced, manipulated or modified in any manner or form and must include all of the individuals in the photograph when published. The photograph shall not be used after 31st December 2024 without prior permission from Kensington Palace. Any questions relating to the use of the photograph should be first referred to Kensington Palace and before publication. Undated handout photo issued by Kensington Palace of the Prince and Princess of Wales with their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The photograph, which features on their Royal Highnesses’ Christmas card this year, was taken by the photographer Josh Shinner earlier this year and shows The Prince and Princess with their three children in Windsor. NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.,Image: 828291451, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Josh Shinner/Kensington Palace / Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales with Prince Louis during a visit to the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales with Prince Louis Where: Fairford, United Kingdom When: 14 Jul 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Looks like he’s missing the same bottom tooth as in the Frankenphoto.
Louis is wearing the same button-down shirt as in the Frankenphoto as well.
The same shirt! They’re just tr*lling the public now. The British public should be angry at the sheer arrogance.
Same button down shirt too, so not a new picture. Supposedly it was taken in the past few days by Kate. BS
The shorts are different from what he’s wearing in the frankenphoto though. And Kate always puts him in button downs for these pics at this point – if you look at the last few pics on this post, the button downs are very similar if not exact. So I could easily overlook the button down being the same because that’s pretty much par for the course with Kate.
But the teeth look the same which is interesting to me. Over 5 weeks (or longer, since we don’t know when the picture of him taken for the frankenphoto was from), you would think his teeth would have grown in a bit? IDK.
I think Charlotte’s picture in two weeks will be interesting.
@Becks1 – I’ve only ever had cats, so I don’t know how long it takes for an adult human tooth to grow in. But if the photo is from the middle of December, when they were putting Christmas packages together, then that’s over 4 months ago.
This photo to me is clearly not from December because he is wearing shorts and the grass is super green.
The issue with trying to determine how authentic this is, is that we’re using a heavily edited photo as our comparison. Maybe his face was edited into the frankenphoto, so his clothes were from December but his face was from March. Maybe that was the day that they had his bday photoshoot and edited the shorts in here or edited in the pants in the other photo.
I saw Max Foster say on X that this photo was not edited but that obviously doesn’t mean it was from this week.
They really should have just used a professional photographer for this and the fact that they refused just shows how entitled and stubborn they are and how mad they STILL are that the March photo was questioned/killed.
honestly I am trying to remember how fast my kids’ teeth grow back and while in 5/6 weeks they wouldn’t be fully in, you would expect to see more than here?
I honestly have no idea.
The wheelbarrow photo is his bday photo from last year. And yeah it’s not unusual for adult teeth to take a while to come in after loosing the baby teeth.
@blueberry I’m talking about the Mother’s Day frankenphoto as the comparison point.
His hair is parted on the other side, don’t know about Kate’s children but my children’s hair grows in a certain directing looking at the crown either clockwise or anti clockwise, difficult to part the hair on the wrong side,
That picture was taken two years ago in 2022.
The 2022 date for the GMA feature / photo of Louis is purposely inaccurate info @Carmen, circulating on social media sites. This photo of Louis, though, was most likely taken in summer 2023, not a few days ago.
his hair looks longer here though…..hm.
His missing tooth still hasn’t come in. When was the original face shot that went into the Frankenphoto taken?
I was going to say that that tooth is still missing. Seems to be taking forever to grow in.
Haha, the first thing I did was zoom in on the Frankenphoto and Louis’s teeth… this picture was not taken a couple of days ago unless they pre-edited Louis’s teeth back in March.
Kids teeth can take months to grow in, so I wouldn’t give too much energy to this one.
What a little Middleton he is! He’s going to look just like Grandpa Mike!
Yeah I zoomed in and you can see the adult tooth starting to poke through, so I don’t think this picture is from December.
I’m spending way too much time this morning analyzing a 6 year old’s birthday photo LOL.
Disclaimer – yes, i think all the Wales kids are decent looking. But Louis, to me, has the best combination of physical features. And ever since babyhood, he has had a certain sparkle in his eyes that hints at a very lively personality. I guess he takes after the Middleton side but I think he will grow up to be more attractive than either Mike or James.
Google tells me ” Once the baby tooth has fallen out it can take as long as six months for the permanent adult tooth to appear in its place. Sometimes the gap can remain unfilled for a lot longer, causing concern in parents about the development of their child’s teeth.”
@Kittenmom
Louis seems the pick of the litter!
@barb mill, way to be all level-headed here about a freaking missing tooth. This comment section sure is entertaining. But what do I know, maybe frenzied speculation about a child’s six year old birthday portrait and forensic analysis of a missing tooth are what well-adjusted adults engage in these days.
Wow @juniper–you sound like so much fun!!
Happy Birthday to Louis!
I did see that Hello had an article about how Louis was going to be WandK’s “wild child”, *sigh* the poor kids already typecast into his “royal role” at age 6. Abolish the monarchy and free these poor kids.
If it wasn’t Louis it would be Archie. Glad that Harry and Meghan removed him from this toxic mess.
Meghan said they lied for Kate and wouldn’t correct the lies about her, we will have the same about Louis and Archie.
He seems to have a very lively personality. I kind of like him! 😹 I hope he is able to weather a childhood in the eyes of the British media.
Will the BM and KP be wishing Archie a Happy Birthday. Louis and his siblings look absolutely nothing like W or any of the Windsors or Spencers, even when they bleach their hair. The story “The Emperors New Clothes” always comes to mind when the media keeps telling us how much the children look like William and Diana.
Are we sure it’s him though? Asking for a friend…;)
Comment of the day. LOL
The Hench, how has the weather been in Britain recently? Across the North Sea it’s been rather changeable, wet and cold…nobody here is in shorts or bare feet.
When is the last picture we’ve seen of Louis that can be verified? I don’t think this was taken a few days ago at all.
the weekend before last was quite sunny and warm, last saturday was quite sunny too. April is just really changeable – 4 seasons in one day.
Thanks, Original Penguin. Usually our weather is a day or so behind yours since it usually travels over the North Sea. The background is so blurry and these people have been so untruthful, I have severe difficulty believing that this picture is a current version of Louis.
@ML, yes, @original penguin is right. We’ve had every weather here over the last few weeks from 18 degrees C and sunny to hailstorms and 2 degrees.
Taken by who? 😂 I just find it funny now when they release photos
They claim it was taken in the last few days in Windsor. Ok I guess Kate is well enough and not bed bound to have a photo session with her kids outside.
That’s what they want us to think 🤔.
But not well enough to be credibly seen in public and working.
Hey everyone, I saw this same photo of Louis identified on an IG account as having originated from 2022! GMA did a feature in April of that year about Louis, and this exact same photo was featured. 😯😳
@Aftershocks no they didn’t. that screenshot is fake.
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/photos-prince-louis-released-4th-birthday-84242804
Happy Birthday Louis! I’m glad they released a photo, but it’s kind of late in the day over there, right? Halfway thru the day.
Anyway, is that the cancer sweater Kate is wearing in that wheelbarrow pic? It would still be nice to have a proof of life appearance from her.
Becky English posted her own birthday greetings to Louis this morning so I took that to mean that no photo was going to be released. I suspect William and Kate had no intention of releasing a photo today but were persuaded to post one after the press complained.
I agree – they waited to see if they would get any media pushback and they did.
I think you’re right. Richard Palmer even had a tweet about how many Britons don’t even know Louis’ name and the royals need to be seen to be believed. that was around 4 am EST I think (it said “three hours ago” when I checked around 7 am.)
That birthday message is so cold and so meh, like they really couldn’t be arsed.
It’s also odd. The first line is addressed to Louis from his mom; the second line is addressed to the public, from Louis? from his mom?; and the last line is a photo credit. By mom. Because of course.
It’s also kind of boring. It’s a close-up of a face. Louis is super cute so sure. But I like to see more in a picture. Like background or something happening. Maybe that’s just me though. The wheelbarrow action shot was cute. The Wales were really like here’s his face and nothing more.
I have photo-gate fatigue. I hope for everyone’s sanity this is just a run of the mill photo and we can all relax.
Why is it so hard to gather the family and take a darn picture like a normal family? Why do they have to crop pieces of old pictures and glue them together like Frankenstein?
Because they are not a “normal” family? Because Kate is no longer with us or her face has been disfigured?
I wonder why William could not have taken all the children to that game. A family outing
Tessa I’m wondering that too…something very strange going on here
Bingo. Whatever has changed in the dynamic of this family, there’s something very odd going on between Will and the kids. I assume the reason we haven’t seen Charlotte and Louis live and in person since Christmas is because they are still too young to mask their emotions concerning whatever is going on with Kate. Otherwise, Will should have been seen with all three of them at Easter and/or at the soccer game. That’s just simple, basic PR and would have earned them a bunch of good will.
I don’t think the soccer game was weird, they took one of George’s friends and maybe they’re all big Villa fans and the other kids aren’t or something.
But I do think it was weird that William didn’t take the opportunity to flaunt his fathering abilities at Easter and participate in the Windsor Easter walk. To me it goes back to the idea that William thinks if Kate gets months off, he should as well, and he’s only going to do the things he’s absolutely forced to do.
Three children, far too much like hard work.
I just have to point out that this is yet another photo that could have been taken at any time by any one that doesn’t actually prove much of anything (besides that Louis is adorable and I hope he and the other children are ok and happy throughout this mess). Kate’s credited with taking it, but even if she did there’s nothing that proves this was taken recently, meaning it could’ve been taken prior to the last sighting of Kate (and Louis) at Christmas.
The photo does have one hallmark of other photos attributed to Kate, including other pictures of the children, the photo of Camilla for that magazine cover. His eyes/face are in focus, but the sharpness drops off quickly – you see how blurry his shirt is. The plane of focus is extremely narrow, common in her shots. You can see with the picture of Louis in the wheelbarrow – forget who took it but assume it was a pro – you can still have a blurred background, but the whole subject is noticeably sharp. In the newly released photo, Louis should be in focus from the top of his head to his elbows. I don’t think she knows how to do this.
That said, just because it seems like this is likely a Kate taken picture, that doesn’t say anything about when it was taken.
lol, I just always attributed her ‘signature’ blur style to someone using iPhone portrait mode (poorly).
Considering she. allegedly, has a top of the range digital SLS camera you’d think she’d be able to take better shots but to me the blurriness is a sign that is have been altered in some way – we know she does it and does it badly. At an initial glance it doesn’t look like anything major but lets see what the photo agencies say and if they add an editors note to it.
Yeah, it seems to be a ‘Kate’ photo, but when? Last summer? When was the grass last so green & the sky so clear? And will Charlotte’s photo have been taken at the same time and at the same place?
And why release these photos? We don’t need these kid photos every year, cute though they may be. Will they still do this when/if they hit a not-so-cute period of their young lives? Or can start protesting?
@Sunday – well, portrait mode is based on what you can do with an actual camera – it’s just that you need to know a little more about what you’re doing with a camera!
@DU – I know we’re all sensitive to questions about PS, AI and manipulation, but I don’t think that’s the case here. Yes, modern cameras can take very good pictures, and even good equipment has automatic modes. But a blurred background is a particular, frequently used effect to highlight a subject, while blurring out anything distracting in the background. That’s the whole point and appeal of the portrait mode @Sunday mentions above. The thing is though, when it comes to an actual camera, you need to make some choices about how to set it up, to get that effect. For example, depending on how you do it (and some other misc factors about how things are positioned, etc) there will be different degrees of background blur. You decide what you want, and how wide or narrow the area is you actually want in focus.
Behind or in front of the area in focus, the picture may be blurry (not always, again, depends how you set it up and what you want). That’s the case for the picture of the wheelbarrow. The subjects, Louis and the wheelbarrow, are in focus, but Kate, in front, and everything behind, are blurry. Depends what choices the photographer makes.
I’m not a pro photographer, and as an amateur, I’ve forgotten a lot of how everything is connected, but my general sense is, Kate’s bias is for very blurry backgrounds, and this will impact what’s in focus depending on what camera settings she’s using to achieve that.
Bottom line – I’m not just talking about this picture of Louis, but of others I’ve seen that presumably were taken by Kate – and there’s definitely reason to believe they look like this because she’s just not that great a photographer!
Honestly, I take better photos of my seven-year-old boy using my cracked, dropped a million times, ancient iphone 6 from 2016!
This right here: “they could just hire a real photographer to take some portraits of Louis and simply release those pics in a straight-forward fashion without manipulation”. It shouldn’t be this difficult.
I agree. This is a kate trademark to over blur the background when she takes photos of the kids. I don’t think a professional would do this.
The real question is why they delayed providing a photo.
I think she overblurs the backgrounds because she decided at some point that’s the hallmark of a “good” photo and she’s going to do it for the rest of time.
@Becks1 – yes, I think so too! To be fair, she’s not alone, hence popularity of portrait modes on phones! But the subject needs to be properly in focus too, and she needs to figure that part out.
I also think Kate’s background blurring could be attributed to her and W’s freakish “privacy” obsession. Even when it’s just grass in the background, like in this one, it doesn’t matter, because she consistently does it with all of them and always has.
Kate didn’t personally take the MD mess, but I can see why they’d want to blur the background because they don’t think the peasants should be able to get a clear view of any of their homes. IMO they’re so resentful of the fact that they need to provide these photos in the first place that they try to give away as little as possible in each one. Kate could even be so petty as to purposely dress Louis in the same shirt so the public is seeing as little as humanly possible.
Another thing I’ve noticed is whenever they do Zoom calls, the only framed photos visible in the background are ones that have already been released to the public. As if it’s normal to frame pictures that have been published in the Daily Mail to display in your home. Because god forbid anyone glimpses any sliver of their actual, authentic lives.
Is he wearing the same shirt as the Mother’s Day photo? If so, that’s… an interesting choice.
This is straight-up tr*lling!
If Kate’s in charge of his wardrobe, then he probably has this style shirt in multiples, multiple of this color & other colors, multiples of sizes. How many blue striped sweaters does Kate have? How many blue-striped Breton tops? etc., etc.
Talking about Breton tops, I live in Brittany, the only people who wear strippy jumpers are the Grockles. (I comes from Dorset. It’s a term of endearment.)
They said this was taken a few days ago in Windsor, but that doesn’t mean anything. Its interesting that they’re back to crediting Kate with the photos.
They definitely did not want to release this picture and finally only did because of the press pushback.
Tina Brown said in her recent on-air interview that the press office has a calendar and they plan months in advance knowing pictures will need to be released. The Mother’s Day photo would not have been a last minute decision before they hopped into the copter to go to Anmer and following that same logic the birthday pics wouldn’t be released on noon the day of the birthday when all the papers are already printed. KP is playing games, again.
Is it KP or is there a breakdown of communication and cooperation between William and Kate?
This photo is most certainly not a recent one.
Human teeth do grow, and Frankenphoto was “taken” ~ six weeks ago, and, as others have already pointed out, it’s the same shirt.
I don’t get why the British public is so apathetic. They fund these workshy welfare leeches, and the money that supports the handful of leftover royals and their wilfully neglected piles of stones could be put to much better use elsewhere – NHS, education, Airrly Yarrs, environmental protection.
Abolish the monarchy!
Louis being six now also means he’s beyond those precious first, most important, five years.
Lazy Katie Missington, Schrödinger’s princess, can go back to work.
@Nanea, “I don’t get why the British public is so apathetic.” – I completely agree!
The Queen and Diana are long gone, and so is the appeal they brought to the institution. The chance they could’ve had with Harry and Meghan is also gone. I’m just baffled as to WHY Queen f-ing Camilla is technically running the show and the most senior royals are either too old or too lazy or too sick to do their “job” (if that’s what we even want to call it).
Abolish the monarchy already!
But didn’t you know that the “Tween Yeahs” have become the most important stage in a child’s life! Time to have some meetings, make some pie charts, about that!
So I know these kids’ lives are funded by the public but Louis and charlotte aren’t the heir. Does the public need pictures of them? Idk the whole demand for kids’ pictures skeeves me out. At this point, the Wales have set up that expectation with the public so it feels like there’s no going back. And also, I wonder if the thought of now having to release unedited pictures to the public has got them freaked out.
Traditionally all the children of direct heirs have been shown. Diana and Charles released photos of William and harry on a regular basis. Also queen Elizabeth and prince philip released photos of all the children. I also think it would not be a good look generally to only release the heirs photo. George is the one the most seen in any case with William and Kate only bringing George to some events.
Well, the parents need to stop using the kids as fodder to avoid public scrutiny. Nevertheless, Charlotte and Louis are throne adjacent, and as such, I don’t see a problem with the birthday photos. I, however, don’t feel the same with regards to the kids of the 5th in line and lower.
I would love to see photos of Archie and Lilibet but I think that Harry and Meghan are right not to release them.
Jais I know what you mean. When Gordon Brown was prime minister here in the UK you never saw his two small sons. The only time was the day he left office – it was an ‘aww’ moment because they were so sweet. But it was refreshing that he didn’t parade them and was very low key and private.
Seriously, Liz. There’s a difference with a huge distinction. GB’s kids were not in line to become PM. For the same reason, in the US, we don’t see Joe Biden’s kids, and no one complains about it. We saw the Obama’s kids, because they were young and lived in the White House; but there’s an unwritten rule in the US that politician’s kids, as long as they, themselves, are not involved in politics, are off limits. As such, it’s a completely different circumstances from kids being in line to a monarchy.
I appreciate the distinction Proud Mary. My point was really about people in public life generally, and how some are more private than others.
Also I think the new gen royals could choose to do things a bit differently if they wanted. George is the heir in 2024 and they could come to a different arrangements re photos if they so wished.
Liz, unfortunately, it would be difficult to use the ‘spares’ to cover for the heir if they’re not seen.
Again Liz, all “people in public life in general” are not born into the same obligations as the Wales kids — all three of them, not just George. Not only that, we’re only talking about pictures here. Whom do you expect to do the “working” royal bit? I know they’re young now, but to get them prepared for that future, Charlotte and Louis will have to be out in public so they can be comfortable with the idea. Unlike the Sussex kids, moreover, the Wales Kids have the benefit of a very accommodating and favorable press system. I know that royal life can nevertheless be a bch, but until they grow up and make the smart decision to bolt, them’s the breaks!
This right here – “At this point, the Wales have set up that expectation with the public so it feels like there’s no going back” is the issue.
Maybe william was always going to release pictures of his kids on their birthdays. But it certainly feels more like part of the bargain he struck with the press, doesn’t it? and the press certainly feels a sense of ownership over those children – we heard that from Harry loud and clear, not just in regards to HIS children but in regards to himself.
The Waleses have set up this pattern/expectation and we saw from the press reactions this morning that breaking those expectations is going to be hard for the Waleses.
I know we keep saying this, but look at how other royal families operate. They share pictures of the children at milestones or on vacation and there doesn’t seem to be this sense of using the children as a commodity, as something to trade for good press. Maybe I’m just not following the coverage closely enough?
S&S and Proud Mary – I didn’t suggest the heir and spares be hidden away.
I said in 2024 they could rethink how they do it.
To me the far more important issue right now is what’s happening behind the fake pictures fiasco.
I hope those hospital steps photos stop with the next generation. The new mother having to pose for photos of the new baby.
Well, it could be worse. In previous generations, royal births were attended by official witnesses — as a guarantee that the potential monarch actually emerged from the royal loins as expected. Of course now we have DNA tests — but also AI. Not that I think it’s a great idea, but I do understand why a potential future monarch gets publicly shown to their people soon after their birth. What’s bizarre to me, though, is the insistent expectation that Megan and Harry do so. AFAIK, none of this witnessing and showing newborns was customary with babies further down in the line of succession. I think the photos on the hospital steps were something that Diana and Charles chose to do. I don’t remember seeing similar photos for, say Princess Anne’s newborn kids.
Diana said she was in agony doing it after having an episiotomy. Poor woman. They were done routinely at the time. Ouch.
Routine episiotomies have advanced to routine Caesarians. Double ouch. Bless all the mothers and children in the world. Promote natural childbirth whenever possible.
@Blithe, Princess Anne was the first British royal mother to give birth in hospital rather than at home in the palace. Anne was photographed leaving the hospital with her firstborn child, Peter. The Duchess of Gloucester also departed from ancient traditions in the 1970s, when she gave birth to her children in hospital. She was also photographed leaving the hospital. But the press and photogs that Anne and the Duchess of Gloucester were met with in those earlier days was nothing like the full-on circus that ensued when Diana, Princess of Wales, gave birth to William in 1982. Thereafter, the circus atmosphere grew and became a tradition, unwanted by Diana, if truth be told.
^^ Actually, Anne was the first royal within the immediate line-to-the throne to give birth in a hospital, in 1977. Apparently, it was (Birgitte) the Duchess of Gloucester, earlier in the 1970s, who set the modern precedent of birthing her children in a hospital (St. Mary’s). Articles, photos and videos are available online.
So yeah, I think my issue is more to do with the parents, and as y’all have said, the way they have used the kids as distractions, fodder for the press and commodities. So now what should just be a sweet birthday picture feels tainted. It feels transactional.
I think ‘transactional’ is absolutely right. I can’t remember where I read it – perhaps in Endgame – but there was a piece that clearly stated that W&K had done a deal with the press that they would release controlled but regular update photos of the kids to the press on key events (Christmas/birthdays) in return for the press not stalking them for photos of the children at other times.
ETA so that’s why there was immediate pushback when one didn’t get released of Louis today early doors.
Is this a new photo though…?Happy Birthday Louis. It’s sad that you’ll probably never meet your adorable American cousins, Archie and Lili.
I hope you can bust out of that life the way your uncle Harry did.
Louis parents made that impossible. Kate did not allow Louis to walk over to see his then baby cousin archie.
Doctors advise to limit visitors for babies under 3 months as infants have yet to fully develop their immune system. Keeping a small child away makes sense as little kids are known germ factories. That’s just prudent behavior.
Kate was not keeping Louis away from Archie at the polo event because of germs. She could have interacted with Meghan herself too and she chose not to. Let’s not pretend there was any attempt at decency from a woman who was fine cutting Meghan in full public view on video at the commonwealth service.
The only time we’ve seen any of them dress like a normal child is when Charlotte appeared with her parents in a commonwealth games event. Imagine that.
And the interesting thing about that is….that’s when William dressed her, not Kate.
Yes that was the same event where William and Charlotte arrived by helicopter and Kate was waiting for them in a Range Rover.
So, Kate, who recently had serious abdominal surgery and hasn’t been able to work for months….laid down…on her stomach to take this picture? Recently?! Sorry, no way. He is a cute kid though-hopefully he’s happy
I was wondering about that, too. I mean… once again, they said it was her and if they’re not lying, then they’ve lied about her surgery.
Or it is all healed up and she should be back at work between chemo. bouts.
I am willing to accept the veracity of this picture, but I think just as you do: we do not know who took it, and its a bit of a stretch for me to believe that Kate took this picture and put out her “sweet little note”. I’d say William had someone take the photo without attribution, said Kate took it and is speaking for her, if I had to guess.
Louis is super cute.
I just came back here, because Louis is wearing shorts and sort of laid out in the grass…Here in the NLs, it’s been colder than usual for this time of year and the past week it’s been raining-cloudy-sunny-raining with winds and a touch of hail. How has the weather been in the UK?
We actually had a mini-heatwave in London last week. The weather is extremely changeable. We had maybe 2-3 days of boiling hot weather and brilliant sunshine and blue skies, followed by a chilly spell. And sometimes rain. It can easily go from 70F and sunny to cold to pouring rain to sunny again in the space of a day.
That is NOT a new photo of Louis. I have a 5-year-old son who has already lost his bottom 2 front teeth and the new teeth started growing in immediately. At age 6 Louis would have lost more than just 1 of his baby teeth, but more importantly the spot with the 1 missing tooth wouldn’t still be empty & look exactly the same as it did in the photo(s) of him from months ago!! (His new tooth would’ve grown in.—As everyone obviously knows, that’s WHY kids lose teeth!) THAT IS AN OLD PHOTO OF PRINCE LOUIS, AND THE PALACE IS LYING, CLAIMING IT’S NEW. WHY?!? Where is Kate and where are the missing kids? (And why is KP so STUPID that they’d think people wouldn’t notice this issue with the teeth???!?)
Something awful/sinister has gone on here – none of it adds up.
I think its more of a case of them releasing old photos – they have previous for it, not just with the kids but with themselves. They’ve posted photos of themselves from the same engagements but trying to make it look like it was a different engagement on a different day but its such a coincidence that they are wearing the same clothes.
Unfortunately I see it in the same way. Why they need to prove Kate’s existence so badly? Why insist on posting questionable photos? Do we need to know who took the photo? No, just a recent photo is sufficient and a short “he had fun birthday and grandpa Chuck visited”. Wills is shrinking in front of our eyes, this is not just dealing with illness in family, this is sth eating him from the inside.
My oldest son didn’t lose any of his baby teeth until he was 7, so Louis just being 6 today and only missing one tooth isn’t raising a red flag for me. that’s not unusual. And there is a bit of the tooth growing back, so maybe its just slow?
What’s more likely is that this picture was taken a few weeks ago when they were at Anmer (maybe late March).
Children can cut teeth at different ages, neither my children or I had any teeth before we were a year old, I expect our second teeth were late as well. My grandson cut one of his big front teeth at about 7 and it took at least a year for the other one to come through.
Regarding Louis’ missing bottom baby tooth where the adult tooth has not yet grown in, isn’t it also possible for Louis to have had a youthful rough-housing accident where that tooth got knocked out prematurely? 🤔 Thus, it’s taking time for the adult tooth to grow in? That might also explain why he hasn’t yet lost any of his other baby teeth.
Not an AI expert (LOL) and I do think the left arm looks a bit strange – but one of my children did not lose a tooth till he was almost 8. So I wouldn’t necessarily rely on the teeth to tell the complete story.
He’s a cutie. Always looks like he’s full of piss & vinegar.
Sorry, can’t see this being taken in the last few weeks, it’s been bloomin cold and miserable. One of the warmest but wetest couple of months in years. So no way is that little one laying on a blanket on wet ground in shorts, and it seems an Easter miracle occurred as bone can lay on her “heavily operated on” stomach!! Oh, and they have changed the side that Louis parts his hair. I hope the little lad has a good birthday, and one day we find out, WHO took this picture and WHEN PLUS, if bone is still in the land of the living and copus mentis, bet we see her reappear for the carriage procession at ascot! Full crowd to scream their devotion, she won’t be able to resist.
As far as the side his hair is parted on, it’s probably just a reversed image. I’m sure Kate did take this picture, just not recently. Or whomever posted it to sm just said that she did. It’s like KP learned NOTHING from the last several photo and video fails, and are keeping on like business as usual with this farce of Kate is well and fully functioning.
I might be misremembering but are you in Cornwall, Mary? We’ve had a heatwave here in London – we had about three days of temps in the 70s with hot sunshine and blue skies. Then it got chilly again. It’s sweatshirt weather right now, but I was going outside in a tank top and thin yoga pants all last week – it really was very hot. (Admittedly only for three days.)
Cornwall has very different weather from London/Windsor. Certainly tons of blokes wearing shorts last week, and people sunbathing on the little beachy bits at Greenwich and Bankside.
I don’t buy that Kate lay on her stomach post-surgery to take the photo and I don’t really buy anything they say, but the weather doesn’t mean anything one way or the other.
Happy birthday, Louis.
Abolish the monarchy.
He looks so much like Kate’s dad!
This is definitely an old photo. The grass, the light, everything, says Summer or Autumn. But not early spring. We’ve had very cold weather the last two weeks. You wouldn’t want a child to lay down in the grass for a photoshoot at this time of the year bc it’s just too cold.
And he’s barefoot!
Depends how you define cold, I guess. It was mid-60s (Fahrenheit) most of last week, reached above 70 at one point before dipping back to the mid-40s this week – I would consider that definitely pretty warm (I personally felt too hot, but I run warm and can’t handle heat) and certainly people were in t-shirts last week.
I don’t know what the big deal is to wear shorts for a few minutes for a photograph. I attended the Olivier Awards last week – look at the photos from the awards online, plenty of people in flimsy outfits – Hannah W was in bare arms and legs outdoors at night posing at NHM. I walked back to the tube station at 11pm with a strappy dress and little velvet shrug and was only a bit chilly. If it’s warm enough for women in Kensington to be outside in the evening with bare arms and legs then it’s warm enough for a kid in Windsor be outside in broad daylight in shorts in 5 minutes.
I understand the tendency to be suspicious of everything the Firm/KP say because they’ve utterly destroyed any trust or credibility they may have once had, but saying it can’t be real because it’s spring just isn’t logical. Anyway it’s a British tradition for upper class boys to wear shorts 365 days a year.
Is there literally no one else who can take a photo of Louis? I’ve stopped believing Kate ever existed in any form besides Ai avatar, but surely Louis is real?
🎂 💗
Beautiful boy. Beautiful family.
He is indeed a beautiful boy. The other children are average. There is nothing wrong with that but I see cuter kids every day at the local mall, including my own family.
Louis reminds me so much of Harry in photos and video (and I guess in turns Diana). Not in looks obviously but in personality. He has the same mischievous spirit of his uncle and I wouldn’t be surprised he is found to be the more approachable Wales sibling as he gets older as Harry was when he was younger. I fear for him as he gets older growing up behind super restrictive palace walls. I will be rooting for this little guy and I hope he is able to find freedom somehow and they aren’t drilling into him that he has to be loyal and support his brother for his entire life.
The British tabloids have been subtly demonising him and painting him as the naughty one since he was literally a toddler. They’re already trying to create the old tired narrative where the heir is perfect and mature beyond his years and the spare is wild and naughty. Four generations and counting with this BS, when will people wake up??
It’s only a matter of time before the press really start in on Louis, and before the courtiers start throwing him to the wolves. Will WanK lift a finger to protect him?
Honestly what does it matter when it was taken? His mother is being treated for cancer. So dang petty.
I think if anything the secrecy is due to the fact that Kate is seriously ill. Two weeks in hospital + months of home care is serious.
I think you’re right. Most journalists here in London are gossiping that she’s far more ill than they’re letting on. I’ve heard this from respected broadsheet journalists, not rats.
@CHRISTINA, NO she is not being treated FOR cancer, because she does NOT HAVE cancer!!
@Mary Pester. I’m new to this site. I don’t follow the royals so curious why they would fake cancer? What do they gain from doing so? If you have any insider info, please share!
New to this site or not, the video exists. Did you watch it? The woman clearly said that she underwent surgery and the doctor said that when they did the tests on whatever they removed, they found that cancer HAD been present. And that she was undergoing “preventative” treatment to prevent it from returning. So from the horse’s own mouth she does not have cancer. The media, desperate as always to make (saint) Kate a thing, decided to run huge headlines claiming that “Kate HAS cancer” despite her saying nothing of the sort. Charles is the only one who is actually undergoing treatment for “a form of cancer” – whatever that may be. Mary Pester is correct.
@ MAGDALENA Unless she has been declared cancer free, then her cancer be in remission. Cancer remission is defined as a decrease in or disappearance is signs and symptoms of cancer. No one who is cancer free goes through chemo. Whether you like her or not, she was diagnosis’s with cancer. Cancer free mean no trace of cancer. Remission can be partial or complete reduction of symptoms. She has cancer. That is science.
this is cleeeearly an AI generated photo. the eyes look off, and the teeth are so weird…who does kate think she is to scam commoners like we are stupid. louis doesn’t look like that, they either used a dummy child or faked his face. we deserve to see him! and she should worry about the fact that her husband is in on an illegal scam with Rose hansury and stealing stuff from other countries like valuables and things. And she doesn’t have cancer. anyone who has cancer would know that you just don’t fake things when life is on the line. i would know because i’ve had cancer. and really she should focus on HER MARRIAGE which is no good rather than fake another picture.
Yea, William is a blatant liar. Let’s use the phrase “a few days ago” to be completely vague. They put Louis in the same collar shirt as the Frankenphoto. His teeth look exactly the same from supposed at least Mothers Day Franken pic (which obviously was also a LIE). They parted his hair to the opposite side and I have yet to find a picture of him with that part. They deliberately blurred his leg and the background and cropped his arms and hands so it’s difficult to determine it’s credibility. And they literally want us to believe Kate is laying down on her abdomen snapping pictures days ago. Mary Pester and others have noted the weather etc. William is an arrogant, blatant liar and I’m not buying any of this. Nor do I believe this is a real or recent picture of Louis.
Ok. I am back. Could not edit my comment. However, I saw another photo of Louis on Twitter and clicked it. It does have his arms folded in the picture and it looks off. You can see the wrist joint start to bend on one of his arms and yet his “hand” just keeps going as an arm. Something isn’t right with this photo.
Is that George’s hair pasted on Louie’s face?! George’s cowlick prevents any bangs. Cheeky Monkey’s hair prevents any style other than bangs, cf. the wheelbarrow photos.
They are late posting Louis’ birthday pic because no ones working at KP, only Willie has supposedly resume business as usual when he’s not “working from home” and of course willie doesnt remember his kids’ birthday dates. Kate probably had to call in to send him this pic and they had to rush out this picture before it’s too late
I think both of them assumed they could use Kate’s cancer to avoid having to lift a finger for the foreseeable future, the tabs reminded them of the invisible contract – regular photos of the kids!! And KP press office had to throw something together. I wouldn’t be surprised if a staffer took the photo, or the nanny.
Holy photoshop… I wonder why they’re doing it..
Oh wow, look what we have, another faker taken 2 years ago, lol. At this point the Wales are over it and just trolling us. There’s no way Kate took that photo, she probably doesn’t even know that it was posted, that’s if she’s even alive. Weird!