Kate Middleton got behind the camera for two of her children’s first birthday portraits – and made an appearance in the other’s photos
By
Stephanie Petit
April 22, 2019 05:35 PM
Prince Louis has officially reached a royal milestone: posing for his birthday portraits!
Kate Middleton and Prince William released three new photos of their third child on Monday in honor of his first birthday on April 23 – and there are tons of similarities between the new snaps and those of his older siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, when they were the same age.
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The royal parents took Prince George, now 5, to a butterfly exhibit at London’s Natural History Museum, where the family was snapped by photographer John Stillwell of the Press Association wire service in the U.K. The blonde prince, dressed in a navy polo shirt and striped overalls, was fascinated by the butterflies in the portraits taken weeks ahead of his first birthday.
“He’s quick on his feet,” Stillwell told PEOPLE of the young royal, describing a photo of George confidently taking some steps on his own. “He was walking towards me – I was kneeling down to take the picture and he was on top of me as soon as he started walking. He was very quick. He looked really steady on his feet.”
Kate added a personal touch for Charlotte’s first birthday portraits in 2016. The royal mom, who studied art history at the University of St. Andrews, got behind the camera herself to take the sweet photos of her daughter.
Charlotte, who will soon celebrate her fourth birthday on May 2, is seen playing around the family’s country home of Anmer Hall in pink and blue outfits (with matching bows in her hair). She also showed off her mobility, cruising between furniture and anything else she can hold on to and taking steps pushing toys.
“Turning one is an important family milestone, and the family is happy to share these pictures,” a palace source told PEOPLE at the time.
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Kate took the first official portraits of Louis, released just two weeks after his birth, and the mom picked up her camera again ahead of her son’s first birthday. Like Charlotte’s photos, Kate used Anmer Hall as the setting, opting to capture Louis enjoying the outdoors in the weeks ahead of his birthday celebration.
PA Images/Sipa
PA Images/Sipa
PA Images/Sipa
Prince Louis looks like a perfect combination of his older siblings in the new photos, notably sharing in the family trait of adorable chubby cheeks. The little royal even shows off two new teeth with his smile, and his blondish locks are adorably combed to the side.
“He really is the most cheerful, smiley little boy – he’s always so happy and content,” a source tells PEOPLE of Prince Louis.
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