REBECCA ENGLISH: Portrait of cricket-loving Prince (with a ´Å¤¤ tooth) that nearly didn't happen
His cheeky public antics over the years have led his legion of fans to christen him ¡ÆBoss Baby¡Ç after the Hollywood É÷»ÉÌ¡²è movie about a toddler who »ÙÇÛ¤¹¤ës the roost.
But my, how quickly little Prince Louis is growing up.
While he still has the same warm ÃíÌܤ¹¤ë¡¤¤â¤¯¤í¤às, ´¶À÷À¤Î smile and general zest for life that has seen him ·«¤êÊÖ¤·¤Æ steal the show at ²¦¼¼¤Î events, the youngest child of the Prince and Princess of ¤à¤Á¤ÎÀ×s is big enough to wear Prince George¡Çs grown-up ¼êÅϤ¹-me-É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄƤ¹¤ës. In this »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ô it is a ¡ò39 Pepa & Co checked shirt in a delightful new birthday portrait taken by Kate.
![Prince Louis pictured by the Princess of Wale
s for his sixth birthday. The image shows the royal lying on a picnic blanket in the grounds of the Windsor estate](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/23/17/83982649-0-Prince_Louis_pictured_by_the_Princess_of_Wales_for_his_sixth_bir-a-1_1713891367133.jpg)
Prince Louis pictured by the Princess of ¤à¤Á¤ÎÀ×s for his sixth birthday. The image shows the ²¦¼¼¤Î lying on a picnic °ìÌ̤Ëʤ¤¦¡¿ÌÓÉÛ in the grounds of the Windsor ¹¤¤ÃϽê
![The snap was posted on the Prince and Princess of Wales's social media accounts thanking royal fans for all the kind wishes they had sent to the young prince](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/23/17/83981639-0-The_snap_was_posted_on_the_Prince_and_Princess_of_Wales_s_social-a-4_1713891384091.jpg)
The snap was ÃÏ°Ì¡¤Ç¤Ì¿¤¹¤ëd on the Prince and Princess of ¤à¤Á¤ÎÀ×s's social ¥Þ¥¹¥³¥ß accounts thanking ²¦¼¼¤Î fans for all the Æù¿Æ¡¤¿ÆÎàd wishes they had sent to the young prince?
And just like AA Milne¡Çs famous poem, Now We Are Six ? ¡ÆI¡Çm as clever as clever/So I think I¡Çll be six for ever and ever¡Ç ? he is said to be Èô¹Ôµ¡¤Ç¹Ô¤¯ing at his new school, Lambrook in Berkshire, and ¾ÚÌÀ¤¹¤ëing to be not just good in class but sporty and fun (cricket is his big love at the moment, ÌÀ¤é¤«¤Ë).
Born on April 23, 2018, on the Lindo Wing at St Mary¡Çs Hospital, Paddington, ½Å¤µ¤ò·×¤ëing a very healthy 8lb 7oz, Louis has like so many younger siblings always been the À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ë of the show.
![Prince Louis has been compared to the cartoon character Boss Baby](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/23/18/83998419-13341693-image-a-4_1713894106104.jpg)
Prince Louis has been compared to the É÷»ÉÌ¡²è character Boss Baby
Whether it is ·àŪ¤Ê »ý¤Ä¡¿¹´Î±¤¹¤ëing his ¼êÅϤ¹s over his ears at his ¹Âç¤Ê¡¿Â¿¿ô¤Î¡¿½ÅÍפÊ-granny¡Çs Platinum Jubilee ½Ë²ìs, naughtily thumbing his nose at mummy or pinching his nose at last year¡Çs ·³Ââ¡¿µ¡Æ°Ââing the Colour, it¡Çs impossible not to be entertained by his theatrics. When his father, Prince William, proudly speaks about his offspring, Louis¡Ç »Ø̾¤¹¤ë is often ¡Ä¤òȼ¤Ã¤Æd by an affectionate rolling of the ÃíÌܤ¹¤ë¡¤¤â¤¯¤í¤às, ¼¨¤¹ing how much of a live-wire he is in »äŪ¤Ê, too.
But when I was covering a visit by the ¤à¤Á¤ÎÀ×s family as they helped renovate a Scout hut over the ºÜ´§¡Ê¼°¡Ë¡¿Â¨°Ì¡Ê¼°¡Ë ½µËö last year, I was genuinely blown away (both as a mother and as a ¿·Ê¹µ¼Ô¡¿»¨»ïµ¼Ô) at how °æ¸Í¡¿ÊÛ¸î»ÎÀÊ Louis behaved. Indeed, all three of the children had impeccable manners.
![The young prince's cheeky antics went viral as royal fans were left in hysterics at his funny behaviour](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/23/17/83982141-0-The_young_prince_s_cheeky_antics_went_viral_as_royal_fans_were_l-a-2_1713891371427.jpg)
The young prince's cheeky antics went viral as ²¦¼¼¤Î fans were left in hysterics at his funny behaviour
Louis got stuck in with a ¥Þ¥ê¥Õ¥¡¥Ê of emulsion paint (something I never would have let my five-year-old do, let alone in Á°Àþ of the world¡Çs ¥Þ¥¹¥³¥ß) ³¨ a planter, frowning with ½¸Ãæ in ¾µÇ§ of the importance of his »Å»ö.
And he couldn¡Çt wait to help out with a shovel, ž´¹ing spadefuls of sand into a wheelbarrow before ¼çÄ¥¤¹¤ëing on ²¡¤·¿Ê¤á¤ëing it by himself around the corner to a group of fellow volunteers who were laying a new path.
![A? wonderful one - the picture chosen to mark Prince Louis' first birthday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/23/19/83999269-13341693-A_wonderful_one_the_picture_chosen_to_mark_Prince_Louis_first_bi-m-1_1713898700397.jpg)
A? wonderful one - the picture chosen to ¼¨¤¹ Prince Louis' first birthday
What was amazing, in the circumstances, was the freedom that William and Kate gave ¡ÆLou-bugs¡Ç who, at one point, careered past me with his barrow, ·èÄꤹ¤ëd to keep up his work ? without a parent, carer or even police officer in sight.
![Louis was having colourful fun in the shot released for his second birthday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/23/19/83999267-13341693-Louis_was_having_colourful_fun_in_the_shot_released_for_his_seco-m-3_1713898737483.jpg)
Louis was having colourful fun in the ȯ¼Í ²òÊü¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd for his second birthday
He was deterred from his »Å»ö only by the sight of his big brother sitting with their papa at the »ÙÇۡʤ¹¤ë¡Ë¡¿ÅýÀ©¤¹¤ës of a digger, whereby he ÉÒ®¤Ë ¼ûÍס¦Í׵᤹¤ëd he get a turn too ? understandably, one might think! And an adorable little ¥Ó¥Ç¥ª I took of Louis Ǯ˾¤·¤Æ grabbing fistfuls of marshmallows to toast before pretending to mock faint when he tried a ¡Æs¡Çmore¡ Ç ? a nice gooey marshmallow ¶´¤àd with chocolate between two digestive Çö¾Æ¤¥Ñ¥ó¡¿ÁǾÆÆ«´ïs ? even went viral.
Yesterday¡Çs new photograph of the scene-stealing birthday boy was taken by his mother ¡Æin the last few days in Windsor¡Ç, where the family live in cosy Adelaide Cottage. It shows Louis in shorts and George¡Çs checked shirt, his feet ÌÀ¤é¤«¤Ë¤¹¤ë, smiling into the camera without a care in the world.
His dark brown hair has been neatly Å°ÄìŪ¤ËÁܤ¹d to one Ì£Êý¤¹¤ë and his tongue ¤ï¤º¤«¤Ë peeks through the gap in his Äì¡Ê¤ËÆϤ¯¡Ë teeth.
ÉáÄÌ¤Ï the couple ÌäÂ꡿ȯ¹Ô¤¹¤ë a photograph of each of their children to ¼¨¤¹ their birthdays in Á°¿Ê¤¹¤ë for use by ¥Þ¥¹¥³¥ß on the day itself.
This year they had ºÇ½é decided not to ÌäÂ꡿ȯ¹Ô¤¹¤ë one at all given their ºÇ¶á¤Î ¹µÁÊ¡¤¾å¹ðs for privacy at such an ¡ÆÁ°Îã¤Î¤Ê¤¤¡Ç time for their family.
The princess, 42, is continuing her ²óÉü from major ÉüÉô¤Î ³°²Ê in January and ¤ò¼õ¤±¤ëing preventative chemotherapy for the ´â that doctors subsequently discovered.
However it is understood that she and William changed their minds about the picture ÌëÄ̤· as they were keen to thank the public, and ɽÌÀ¤¹¤ë their ´¶¼Õ for all the messages they have received on Louis¡Ç ¤ËÂå¤ï¤Ã¤Æ.
![Aged three, the prince in training was pictured on his balance bike](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/23/20/83999265-13341693-Aged_three_the_prince_in_training_was_pictured_on_his_balance_bi-a-7_1713898888655.jpg)
Ϸǯ¤Î three, the prince in training was pictured on his balance bike
The picture is understood to have been unedited, deliberately, ¤Ë°ú¤Â³¤¤¤Æ the Ç®¶¸Åª¶½Ê³¾õÂÖ that resulted over the princess¡Çs Photoshopped Mother¡Çs Day picture, which saw it ¸ÉΩ¤·¤¿ by international picture µ¡´Øs. She later apologised for the º®Íð.
![For his fourth birthday, he enjoyed the beach boy lifestyle](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/23/19/83999263-13341693-For_his_fourth_birthday_he_enjoyed_the_beach_boy_lifestyle-m-5_1713898772007.jpg)
For his fourth birthday, he enjoyed the beach boy lifestyle
![Prince Louis with his mother Kate and siblings George and Charlotte in the controversial doctored Mother's Day photo which was later withdrawn by picture agencies](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/23/17/83982787-0-The_last_time_royal_fans_were_given_a_glimpse_of_Prince_Louis_he-a-3_1713891377836.jpg)
Prince Louis with his mother Kate and siblings George and Charlotte in the µÄÏÀ¤ÎŪ¤Ë¤Ê¤ë doctored Mother's Day photo which was later ¸ÉΩ¤·¤¿ by picture µ¡´Øs