Prince William and Kate are giving out a “positive” message by releasing a smiling photo of Louis to mark his sixth birthday and another picture is expected for their anniversary
A smiling snap of Prince Louis on his birthday by Kate strikes the right privacy balance with photos sending out a “positive” message, says a royal expert.
It has become a tradition that the Waleses publish a photo of their youngest son on his birthday but as he turned six yesterday it was shrouded in doubt with no picture having been sent to the media in advance. But just after midday, the royals posted an adorable new photo of Louis on their X account, captured by Princess Kate herself, to celebrate the young Prince’s birthday.
In the sweet picture, Louis can be seen lying on a rug on the grass, wearing a checked shirt and smiling at the camera. The photo was taken in the last few days at Windsor by Kate, who announced last month she is undergoing chemotherapy after a cancer diagnosis.
There had been concerns that William and Kate would chose not to share a new photo of their youngster son after the photo editing furore that followed a picture put out to mark Mother’s Day showing the princess with her three children. And last month, aides said that “no firm decision” had been taken on whether they would release a photo of Louis on his birthday and who would take the snap.
But following the release of the photo, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said that the Waleses have struck the right balance between privacy and engaging with the public. And he believes that publishing the pics is a positive message.
“I’m delighted that the tradition of putting out a photograph of the Wales’ children on their birthday has continued because it’s tremendously important,” he told The Sun. “I mean, it’s so important you want privacy, or as much privacy as possible, for the future King and his siblings growing up. William and Catherine absolutely and rightly are so obsessive about this.
“But, on the other hand, of course, the Royal Family need the media to put across their charitable messages. It is a careful balance and that involves having photographs of them on particular occasions. And it’s very important because it’s only reasonable. People would want that.”
And the Waleses are now set to publish a photo when they celebrate their anniversary later this month. “I mean, whether it be current one or not, one doesn’t know, but I’m delighted it’s being kept, and royal fans will be happy,” continued Mr Fitzwilliams. “It’s it sends a positive message. And you know, it’s something that people will look forward to seeing. And it’s a link that we want kept.”
