Words by Maisie Bovingdon
Prince Louis celebrated his first birthday on the 23rd of April, and to mark the milestone Kensington Palace released adorable portraits of him ahead of his big day, and boy were they cute!
Kate Middleton and Prince William gave fans a special treat over the weekend as they shared a trio of images of their youngest child on Kensington Palace's social media accounts, and our hearts well and truly melted.
The three images included one of Louis in a blue knitted jumper with a dog emblazoned on the front – which we believe could be a tribute to the Queen's late corgi – and another two of him sporting a berry red knitted jumper and pair of chinos, as he beams with happiness at the camera and shows off his toothy grin.
These photos are very different to the first birthday pictures of his siblings – but did you notice why?
Back in 2014, three photos were shared of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first born, Prince George. Two images saw the little prince in his element playing with his mum and dad, at the Sensational Butterflies exhibition in the Natural History Museum.
A separate photograph saw him walking around the London hotspot wearing a pair of blue striped dungarees, a blue polo top and matching blue shoes. Though he ambled around the grounds solo he still seemed very poised and pristine.
Similar to Louis, George was distracted in the shots and did not look directly at the camera, but Louis was left entirely to his own devices to play in the grounds, reach for the camera, and giggle to his heart's content as he rolled around in the grass on the day of the shoot (adorable!)
Two years after George in 2016, images of Princess Charlotte, looking pretty in pink playing inside at Anmer Hall in Norfolk, were released ahead of her May birthday.
Charlotte's images bucked the trend as she posed inside the royal residence, whereas George and Louis' pictures were both taken outdoors. Louis and Charlotte's pictures were taken at the same location in Norfolk, while George's took place in London.
In some images Charlotte plays with her toys, but unlike her brothers, she looked straight faced as she gazed down the lens like a true pro.
Charlotte started something; the solo shot. For Charlotte and Louis' first birthday pictures they were not accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, although George was for a few of the takes.
The main difference between the three is that Louis looks like he is in his element and is in a less formal set-up, with not a care in the world. His jumper is covered in strands of grass, which, alongside the massive open smile on his face, hints Louis was giving free rein to do what he wanted without anyone cleaning up after him or giving orders (although they may have done and he just didn't listen #idol).
However, the first birthday pictures of his older brother and sister appeared more staged and less like the relaxed and playful environment Louis found himself in.
Eagle-eyed fans will notice some similarities in their appearance in the photographs, as all three children have their hair swept over to one side, all wore the same navy strap shoes as well as blue garments.
Regardless, we love them all and are eagerly waiting for pictures to be released of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's little one, who is tipped to arrive any time this month... Eek!