Prince William and Duchess Catherine have marked their youngest child Prince Louis’ second birthday by sharing a series of super cute new photos of their son.
The four birthday shots feature the young prince enjoying a rainbow-coloured finger painting session at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall.
And while there’s no denying the touching birthday album is the good news tonic the world needs right now, there’s a few interesting details that we simply must unpack…
1. There is NOT ONE skerrick of paint on his perfectly-pressed chequered shirt
Anyone who is the proud parent of a child knows that they are walking, talking mess machines.
In fact, almost all of my clothes have a permanent spew stain on the shoulder from my darling daughter. Meal times require a drop-sheet to catch the debris, the house looks like a bomb has gone off at the end of each day and if you’re brave enough to attempt any kind of arts and crafts at home, there is no way in hell that the paint is not going to end up all over your child and their garments.
But over at Anmer Hall and with Duchess Catherine in charge, it seems Prince Louis has managed to achieve the unachievable – while the prince’s hands are covered in rainbow paint, his crisp blue shirt is totally unscathed?!
In fact, it’s in such a pristine condition he could skip on over to his Gan Gan’s The Queen’s for tea and scones if he wanted.
Whatever happened to the good-old fashioned painting smock? Or better yet, an oversized old T-shirt from mum and dad’s wardrobe?
Paint-free perfection: Kate, what kind of sorcery are you performing?
(Image: The Duchess of Cambridge)2. But let’s not forget last year’s birthday photos…
That’s not to say every family photo the Cambridges have released over the years are picture-perfect.
Who could forget on Louis’ first birthday last year when there was – gasp – a dusting of grass and moss on his maroon jumper.
See, the royal family are just like us after all.
Ahh, that’s better! Last year, Louis’ jumper had a dusting of grass and moss from the garden.
(Image: The Duchess of Cambridge)3. The curious detail in the colour of the paint
As pointed out by royal blogger Gerts Royals on Twitter, the colours on Prince Louis’ hands mysteriously change in each shot.
The lines on his hands also appear not to match up to the final painting – in one photo, Louis’ hands sport red, orange and yellow paint, however the artwork’s colour runs from red, orange and then yellow, meaning these candid snaps may not have been so candid after all.
Don’t worry Kate, you wouldn’t be the first person in the world to reshoot something again and again for the ‘gram.
4. The special meaning behind Louis’ rainbow handprints
As Britain remains one of the worst-hit countries from COVID-19, Prince Louis’ rainbow handprints are a subtle tribute to the frontline workers of the NHS.
Children around the UK have been leaving rainbow paintings in their windows as a message of hope and thanks. And now the fifth in line to the throne has followed suit with his own rainbow creation.
Last month, Louis joined his older siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte as they participated in the viral #ClapForCarers initiative, which hails those working on the frontline amid the COVID-19 crisis.
The rainbow connection: Prince Louis’ painting pays tribute to the frontline workers in the COVID-19 crisis.
(Image: The Duchess of Cambridge)5. Louis follows in George and Charlotte’s footsteps
Prince Louis is one adorable little button.
And he follows in his equally cute siblings’ footsteps.
Looking back at how Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s second birthdays were marked at the times, in 2015 the palace shared a never-before-seen outtake of Prince George and Prince William from Princess Charlotte’s christening taken by Mario Testino.
In 2017 for Charlotte’s birthday, it was back to sharing personal family photos taken by the Duchess of Cambridge.
This year was no different, with avid shutterbug Kate snapping Louis for his big day.
Princess Charlotte poses on a bale of hay at Anmer Hall on her second birthday back in 2017.
(Image: The Duchess of Cambridge)
Prince Louis is growing up before our eyes.
(The Duchess of Cambridge)
