PRINCE LOUIS TURNS 8 TODAY. The Royal Family has released new photos to mark the occasion. The young prince looks adorable and noticeably different after a long time out of the public eye. However, some people were quick to spot a striking detail about his appearance after taking a closer look at the images.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have celebrated Prince Louis’s eighth birthday today by sharing a new photo of the youngster onboard a boat during a family holiday to Cornwall.

Set against the backdrop of the Cornish coast, a grinning Louis is shown leaning with his arms folded against the vessel’s metal barrier, with the sea as the backdrop.

William and Kate’s youngest child, who is known for his cheeky nature, is wearing a £42 blue textured quarter-zip style jumper from Boden in the adorable snap.

It was posted on Kensington Palace’s social media accounts with the message: ‘Happy birthday, Louis! Eight today!’ followed by a red balloon emoji.

The picture was taken earlier this month during the family’s low-key Easter break by photographer Matt Porteous, to whom the Waleses often turn to mark family occasions.

William, Kate and their children spent the spring holiday together, and Louis was last seen at church with the rest of the Royal Family on Easter Sunday.

The prince is expected to spend today with his friends at Lambrook School in Berkshire, where he is currently studying alongside siblings, Prince George, 12, and Princess Charlotte, ten.

As soon as it was posted, hundreds of well-wishers left heartfelt messages for the royal while describing him as a ‘true precious legend’.

‘He looks so mature,’ one fan commented, while another said Louis was his mother Kate’s ‘mini me’ in the ‘lovely’ photo.

Supporters were struck by how ‘grown up’ Louis looked, after the playful prince joined his family for Easter Service at St George’s Chapel earlier this month.

Like his father and brother, Louis wore a dark blue suit to the traditional service. He and George had matching ties on with their double- and single-breasted jackets respectively.

While the youngest Wales child has won over royal fans with his cheeky antics during official engagements, Louis was on his best behaviour as he walked alongside his parents and waved bashfully at fans gathered outside the church in Windsor.

‘Young HRH Prince Louis is learning very well,’ one person praised his behaviour on X at the time.

Seafaring runs in the family. Louis’s great-grandfather, Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, was known for his Naval service, and became Admiral of the Fleet.

Louis’s grandfather, King Charles also served in the Navy as the Prince of Wales, commanding HMS Bronington, and Louis’s namesake – Earl Mountbatten – became the First Sea Lord.

Louis is expected to spend the day with his friends at Lambrook School in Berkshire, where he is currently studying alongside siblings, Prince George, 12, and Princess Charlotte, 10.

Prince Louis Arthur Charles was born at 11.01am on April 23, 2018, at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, and was first photographed with William, now 43, and Kate, now 44, outside the Lindo Wing.

A statement from Kensington Palace at the time read: ‘Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 1101hrs.

‘The baby weighs 8lbs 7oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.’

Since then, he’s become known for his flair in front of the camera and has previously delighted royal fans with his expressive performances at events.

At Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, Louis, then four, took centre stage as the royal family appeared on the balcony.

Alarmed by the noise caused by the Red Arrows circling overhead, he covered his ears and winced.

Similarly, the youngster charmed audiences around the world with his antics at the concert held in honour of his ‘Gan Gan’ and her 70-year reign.

The new photo by Mr Porteus is a delightful addition to the collection of Prince Louis’s official portraits released over the years.

On the occasion of his first birthday, Kensington Palace released three images of the rosy-cheeked toddler gleefully exploring the great outdoors.

Kate, an avid photographer, turned her lens on her youngest as she snapped Louis playing in their garden at home in Norfolk, as fans remarked he was beginning to look a lot like his older brother, Prince George.

He even had an outfit change for the photoshoot; Louis was pictured in a red jumper over one of George’s Peter Pan-collared romper suits, as well as a blue, puppy print cashmere sweater from Trotters.

At the time, the future Queen described Louis as an active child who enjoys ‘bombing around’ on his baby walker.

‘He just wants to pull himself up all the time. He’s got these little walkers and is bombing around on them’, she said.

The following year, the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released a new set of pictures of Louis, also taken by Kate at Anmer Hall, as he tried his hand at painting.

Dressed in a blue checked shirt, Louis looked positively ecstatic to be creating rainbow-coloured handprints as his parents tried to keep him busy after the world went into lockdown.

By the time he turned three, Louis was big enough to be zipping around on his bicycle as he officially started nursery school.

Proud mother Kate snapped the portrait, which showed Louis flashing his trademark cheeky smile, before he left for his first day at the Willcocks Nursery School.

Beaming at the camera, Louis looked ready for his big day, sporting a smart blue and white striped shirt, navy blue sweater and sky blue shorts.

As she often is, Kate was behind the camera for Louis’ fourth birthday pictures that were taken on the beach in Norfolk during a family outing.

In one photo, Louis can be seen charging towards the camera. Two others showed the prince, dressed in a star print jumper, blue check shirt and teal shorts, holding a cricket ball.

The fourth and final photo showed Louis giving another gap-toothed grin as he looked up at the sky – the picture of a happy and healthy little boy.

By the time he turned five, fans couldn’t believe how quickly he was growing up after a new portrait showed Kate sweetly pushing him around in a wheelbarrow.

One fan commented: ‘Our baby isn’t a baby anymore! Happy 5th Birthday to our Prince Louis! The best not-so-little boy!’

The charming family moment was captured by Millie Pilkington, who was previously trusted by Kate and William to privately photograph their wedding reception in 2011.

Instead of releasing Louis’ birthday portrait in the morning, Kensington Palace held off until the afternoon on April 23, 2024, to share a new photo for his sixth birthday.

But the happy photo was clearly worth the wait when it was finally posted, as Louis was pictured grinning from ear to ear while posing in the grounds of Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

Royal fans even noted a telling gap in his teeth, revealing that the tooth fairy has been.

Louis was dressed in a smart-casual shirt with blue and brown checkering – sweetly echoing his father, Prince William’s wardrobe.

And Louis was the spitting image of his William in last year’s portrait, which was also accompanied by sweet behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot at Anmer Hall.

The sweet snap, which was shared on Kate and Prince William’s Kensington Royal social media accounts, was captioned: ‘Wishing Prince Louis a very Happy 7th Birthday!’