Skip to main content

Prince William and Kate Middleton have a slightly different way of releasing birthday portraits of their children. The Prince and Princess of Wales cut out a step when they unveiled a photo of Prince Louis to mark his turning 6. Ahead, how William and Kate are taking “control” after the edited U.K. Mother’s Day photo controversy. 

William and Kate bypassed photo agencies for Louis’ birthday portrait

After much “Will they or won’t they?” surrounding birthday portraits, William and Kate are continuing the Wales family tradition. On April 23, 2024, they shared a new photo of Louis — taken by Kate — for his 6th birthday. 

Except they didn’t quite go about it the same way they’ve done in the past. This time, the parents of three didn’t send the image to major photo agencies who would then typically distribute it to media outlets. 

Instead, they bypassed photo agencies altogether and turned to social media. William and Kate posted the photo to Instagram with the caption: “Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! Thank you for all the kind wishes today.” 

In the photo, taken in Windsor, England, presumably near their Adelaide Cottage home, Louis can be seen smiling at the camera, sitting on a blanket in the grass.

The slight change to the traditional birthday portraits comes after drama surrounding Kate’s edited U.K. Mother’s Day photo. Multiple photo agencies issued kill notices on the snap of her, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. 

It led to a public apology from Kate, followed by her eventual cancer diagnosis announcement.  

William and Kate’s ‘do it ourselves’ attitude about birthday photos means they’re in ‘control’

Speaking to Newsweek after the release of Louis’ birthday portrait, Ingrid Seward, a royal author and expert, noted how William and Kate’s new way of releasing pictures of their children gives them “control.” 

“It would have been a shame if the drama over the Mother’s Day picture stopped them from ever putting pictures out again,” Seward said. “They would be the victims then, wouldn’t they? So I think it’s quite right that they’ve done this.” 

“They’ve obviously decided that they want to be in control, which I completely understand,” the author continued. “I should think they just think, ‘Right, we’re never going to use a picture agency again. We’re going to do it ourselves. We employ 40 people. Surely someone can do this for us?’”

“I would do the same,” Seward added. “I think it’s just another nail in the coffin of agency photography.” 

Expect more birthday portraits from William and Kate soon

The sweet snap of Louis to mark his turning 6 is presumably just the start of the traditional birthday portraits for the year. William and Kate have another one of their children’s birthdays to celebrate in the coming weeks. 

Their daughter, Princess Charlotte, turns 9 on May 2, 2024. This means a new photo for the occasion, likely unveiled on social media similar to Louis,’ is probably forthcoming. The same process is expected for William and Kate’s oldest, George, when he turns 11 in July. 

Before then, however, is William and Kate’s wedding anniversary, which could see the pair release a new or never-before-seen snapshot. 

Best in Entertainment