The Queen Uploads Cutest Birthday Post For Great-Grandson Prince Louis

Apr 23, 2021 by apost team

The last few weeks have been heavy for the royal family, with the queen's husband Prince Philip passing away at the age of 99 on April 9. Just over one week later his funeral took place on April 17, marked by a much smaller ceremony than usual, due to current restrictions. At the official ceremony, the royal family was reunited with Prince Harry for the first time since he and Meghan Markle released their controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey.  

Although the family is still in the official two-week mourning period, a few members have had their birthdays this week. This includes Queen Elizabeth II, who turned 95 on April 21, and her great-grandson Prince Louis, who turns 3 on April 23. 

The queen celebrated without her late husband Prince Philip for the first time in her nearly seven-decade reign. Undoubtedly a mournful birthday of hers, it was made even more somber by the current global situation. Usually honored with a gun salute, this year's celebration was much more lowkey considering the circumstances. 

Privately, The Telegraph reported that Her Majesty would have a "quiet lunch" and was expected to spend the day at Windsor surrounded by her staff of 20, who have been dubbed "HMS Bubble."

Meanwhile, Prince Louis' birthday is no doubt being spent with his family — the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and his older siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte. His mother, Kate Middleton, even released a new portrait of Louis to coincide with his birthday. The gorgeous photo was then uploaded to the queen's official Instagram account, accompanied by a lovely caption.

Shared to the official Royal Family Instagram account, the photo portrays Prince Louis on his red bike, as he smiles widely at the camera. He's dressed smartly in a navy sweater over a pinstripe collared shirt and blue shorts. As with many of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children's photos, it was taken by its matriarch. Accompanying the photo was a sweet caption:

"Wishing Prince Louis a very happy third birthday today. 🚲 Taken earlier this week by The Duchess before he left for his first day of nursery, The Duke and Duchess are pleased to share a new image of Prince Louis. 🎈"

Middleton, who is a keen amateur photographer, is usually behind all of the Cambridge children's official photographs. For Louis' birthday last year, she captured the then-two-year-old making a mess with rainbow-colored paint. A few weeks after releasing the photos, Middleton appeared on "This Morning" and told hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield about the chaotic behind-the-scenes of taking the photo. As reported by Hello!, the duchess said:

"I should've taken a photograph of what I looked like after as well! Luckily, that wasn't documented but I was pretty much... I looked like Louis at the end of those."

But it's not only the queen and Prince Louis who celebrate their birthdays close together — Louis' older sister Princess Charlotte has her birthday on May 2 and she turns 6 this year. Additionally, on April 29, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will mark a significant milestone in their relationship as they celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.

apost.com

The adorable new photo of Prince Louis for his birthday comes just days after a photo was released by Buckingham Palace that shows the first time Louis had been pictured with his great-grandmother the queen. In the photo, which was also taken by the Duchess of Cambridge, the queen and Prince Philip are pictured sitting on a sofa surrounded by seven of their great-grandchildren, as the queen holds baby Louis, who is about 4 months old. The group photo was taken in the summer of 2018 at Balmoral Castle, the royals' Scottish summer holiday location.

Since then, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have welcomed Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, which makes him the queen's eighth great-grandchild. Markle is pregnant with the couple's second child, which means that in total the queen's tally of great-grandchildren will soon be nine. Due to being heavily pregnant — she's believed to be seven months along — she was unable to make it to Prince Philip's funeral, after being advised by doctors to not fly, according to Metro. It is understood, however, that she had made every effort to join her husband.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's baby, which the couple revealed was a girl during their controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey, is thought to be due in June. They didn't share the due date, as is royal tradition, but The Sunday Telegraph reports that Markle is "due to begin maternity leave in around four weeks." The couple announced Markle's pregnancy earlier this year via a gorgeous black-and-white photo taken by their friend Misan Harriman.

What do you think of the adorable new photo of Prince Louis? If you found it incredibly sweet, then be sure to pass it on so that others can see it too!