Kate Middleton shared a new photo of Prince Louis on his first day of school to celebrate his 3rd birthday

• Kate Middleton shared a photo she took of her youngest son Prince Louis to mark his third birthday.
• Louis can be seen riding his bike before his first day at the Willcocks Nursery School.
• Kate Middleton is a keen photographer and the first royal to take official photos for her family.

Kate Middleton used her photography skills to capture a new photo of Prince Louis to celebrate his third birthday on Friday, April 23.

Middleton and Prince William's youngest son can be seen joyfully riding his red bike on the way to his first day of school at the Willcocks Nursery School in Kensington, London on Wednesday.

In a statement sent to Insider on Thursday, a spokesperson for the couple said "the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to share a new photograph ahead of Prince Louis' third birthday."

The sweet photograph was taken at Kensington Palace by Middleton, who has made a new tradition by becoming the first royal to take all the official photos for her family.

Middleton made her photography debut when she broke tradition and snapped the first official photos of Princess Charlotte shortly after she was born in June 2015.

For Louis' last birthday, Middleton conducted an "Instagram vs reality" themed photoshoot to celebrate, which involved the then-two-year-old ending up with rainbow-colored paint all over his face during an arts and crafts project.

Middleton also took photos to mark Charlotte's first day at the nursery in 2018. In the photos, Charlotte wore a red peacoat, Mary Jane shoes, and a knit pink scarf.

As reported by Town and Country Magazine, Princess Charlotte also attended Willcocks Nursery School after the family moved from Norfolk to London.

The school for two to three-year-olds describes itself as a "traditional nursery school which strives to maintain its ethos for high standards, excellence, and good manners," and tuition costs are roughly $12,000 for the year.

At the time, a spokeswoman for Kensington Palace told Hello Magazine about the couple's choice of school, saying: "They felt it was ideal as a first step for Princess Charlotte's early education and they were impressed by the team that work there."

Five-year-old Charlotte now attends the private elementary school Thomas's Battersea alongside her seven-year-old brother Prince George.

The new photograph comes a week after the children's great-grandfather, Prince Philip was laid to rest during his funeral on Saturday, April 17. The Queen also marked her 95th birthday on Wednesday and issued a rare statement to thank the public for their "support and kindness" since Philip died.

The statement sent to Insider said: "I have, on the occasion of my 95th birthday today, received many messages of good wishes, which I very much appreciate."

It added: "My family and I would like to thank you all for the support and kindness shown to us in recent days. We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life."