Princess Kate advised to change popular birthday tradition for Louis after royal controversy

It has been a difficult year for the royal family, with both King Charles and the Princess of Wales sharing that they have been diagnosed with cancer. In February, the monarch told the public that he is undergoing treatment after a routine prostate procedure led to the discovery of the disease, and a month later - after weeks of speculation about her health and recovery following abdominal surgery in January - Kate Middleton shared a video explaining that she was in the early stages of chemotherapy.

The video was reportedly rushed due to fears of a leak, as social media had been alight with a number of conspiracy theories regarding Kate and her health. In early March, Kate and William had shared a Mother's Day photo in an apparent bid to quell growing speculation, but it was swiftly pulled from a number of photo agencies following concerns of image manipulation. Some broadcasters stated that they would be putting all content from the Palace under review, and Kate released a statement apologising for 'experiment[ing] with editing'.

In light of the Mother's Day photo controversy, Getty Images has also added an Editor's Note to the video of Kate sharing her cancer diagnosis, and now the Princess has been advised that she has 'two options' when it comes to a popular royal tradition in the Wales' household.

Every year, William and Kate release portraits of their three children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - to mark their birthdays. These are usually taken by the Princess of Wales, who is herself a keen photographer, and royal fans have always enjoyed the relaxed nature of the images. However, the backlash they faced in the wake of the photo editing scandal has led to concerns that any images they release will be thoroughly analysed, and with Louis' 6th birthday approaching in just a couple of weeks the Wales' will have to decide how to mark it.

Royal commentator Christopher Andersen believes Kate must release a completely unedited photo, or break tradition altogether by hiring a photographer. He told Fox News: "My suggestion would be to either have Kate take the photo and not retouch it or have Kate take it and explain in advance how and why she altered the photo, or have a professional photographer take it and do all the explaining.

"I mean, will it really matter? The conspiracy theories will continue anyway. That particular genie is out of the bottle."

Louis will turn 6 on 23rd April, and his older sister Charlotte will celebrate her 9th birthday on 2nd May.