Britain’s Prince and Princess of Wales Celebrate Prince Louis’ Sixth Birthday with an Unedited Photo
Kensington Palace has unveiled an adorable photograph of Prince Louis to mark his sixth birthday, the first official image released by the family since a photo-editing controversy emerged last month.
In the heartwarming image, Louis, who is fourth in line to the British throne, beams at the camera while lying on a blanket. The photo, taken by Catherine, Princess of Wales, was shared on the couple’s official social media accounts on Tuesday.
A royal source confirmed that the Waleses are grateful for the birthday messages they have received for Louis and revealed that the photo was taken in the last few days in Windsor.
The source acknowledged that this is an unprecedented time for the Wales family as the princess continues her recovery from cancer, but they wanted to share the image on their social media channels as a way to thank those who have sent birthday wishes.
The source emphasized that the photo is unedited, and CNN Photo Desk has analyzed the image, confirming its authenticity and finding no discrepancies or signs of manipulation.
It has become a tradition for William and Catherine to mark their children’s birthdays by sharing new images each year. Many of the past portraits have been taken by Kate, who is a keen photographer herself.
The Waleses have released a celebratory photo of Louis each year to mark his birthday. He was last seen in public during the family’s traditional Christmas Day walk to church alongside his mother on the Sandringham estate.
The latest official photograph of the youngest member of the Wales family is likely to be heavily scrutinized as it is the first since a Mother’s Day photo triggered a scandal last month.
Kensington Palace had released an official family photo, said to have been taken by Prince William, which was later found to have been tampered with. The image was intended to quell speculation about the princess’s whereabouts after she retreated from the public eye following abdominal surgery in January.
However, only a few hours after its release, several international news outlets pulled the photograph from circulation citing concerns of manipulation at the source.
As eagle-eyed royal-watchers continued to pore over potential discrepancies, Kate took responsibility for the chaos that ensued. She stated that she dabbled with editing “like many amateur photographers” and “wanted to express my apologies for the confusion,” in a short statement posted to X, formerly Twitter.
A second round of controversy was sparked weeks later when another official photograph was identified as being digitally manipulated. Getty Images said on March 19 that a photograph of the late Queen Elizabeth II with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, taken by Kate and released by the palace last year, had also been “digitally enhanced.” A CNN analysis found signs of alteration in as many as 19 places.
The princess revealed an unspecified cancer was identified in post-operative tests on March 22. Kate said it had “been an incredibly tough couple of months” in a deeply personal video message, during which she asked the public for privacy.
The family subsequently kept a low profile over the Easter school holidays, but William resumed official duties last week. While visiting a surplus food redistribution center, the prince promised to “take care” of Kate in response to receiving get well cards for his wife and father.
King Charles III has also taken a step back from public-facing duties after revealing his own cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
