Kate Middleton broke tradition with new photos of Prince Louis for his 5th birthday
- Kensington Palace shared two new photos of Prince Louis ahead of his 5th birthday.
- Louis was photographed playing in a wheelbarrow alongside his mom Kate Middleton.
Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, broke tradition by hiring a photographer to take Prince Louis' official birthday photos.
Louis, who turned 5 on Sunday, was shown in two new photos taken by Millie Pilkington and released by Kensington Palace on Saturday. The first photo shows Kate pushing a wheelbarrow that Louis sits in, while the second image shows a close-up shot of Louis smiling.
It's unlike Kate to appear in any of her children's birthday photos, as it's tradition for the royal to be behind the camera. Over the past several years, Kate has taken the official photos issued to the press for each of her children's birthdays.
"It was a huge honour to be asked to capture these portraits of Prince Louis for the Prince and Princess of Wales — all the more so given how talented at photography the Princess is," Pilkington said in a statement shared with Insider on Monday.
"I was delighted with their choice of images, which I felt captured his charm, spirit and beauty," she added.
This marks the first time Kate hasn't taken Louis' photo for his birthday. She took photos of Louis at the beach in Norfolk, England, for his 4th birthday last year, and for his 3rd birthday, she shared a photo she took of the young prince riding a bike before his first day of school.
For Louis' 2nd birthday, Kate had an "Instagram vs reality" themed photo shoot that showed Louis playing with paint, and she shared photos of a baby Louis playing in the garden ahead of his 1st birthday in 2019.
Louis was born on April 23, 2018, and he's the youngest of Kate and Prince William's three children. His siblings are Prince George (age 9) and Princess Charlotte (age 7).
It's not known why Kate opted to break from tradition this year. The princess is patron of the Royal Photographic Society and became the first royal to take official family photos, including photos of William and the children for Father's Day as well as photos of her children before starting nursery school.
This year marks Louis' first birthday since Kate became the Princess of Wales. Kate and William were previously known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and became the Prince and Princess of Wales following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.
Kate's new title is her most senior yet, Hello Magazine reports. The new title, which signifies her position as wife to the heir, comes with additional responsibilities, including more royal engagements and walkabouts, Hello's royal editor Emily Nash wrote in October.
Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.