CELEBRATING HIS SIXTH BIRTHDAY PRINCE LOUIS HOW THE PLAYFUL PRINCE HAS WON ALL OUR HEARTS

Looking every inch the energetic sixyear-old, Prince Louis beams for his mother in his latest birthday portrait.

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The Prince and Princess of Wales shared this image of their younger son lying on a rug in the garden at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor to celebrate his big day last week.

Taken by Kate a few days earlier, it shows the barefoot Prince wearing a hand-medown shirt from his big brother Prince George, now ten, and sporting a red patch of skin on his chin, perhaps from a playground scrape.

The close-up, unedited image came six weeks after the Princess apologised for making alterations to a photograph of herself and her children that she had shared to mark Mother's Day.

While they have asked for privacy during Kate's cancer treatment, HELLO! understands the Prince and Princess decided to share the new photo to thank those who sent birthday wishes.

Kensington Palace posted the photo on the royal couple's social media accounts with the message: "Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! Thank you for all the kind wishes today."

A MESSAGE OF THANKS

Reflecting the unusual circumstances they currently face, the release of the photo marked a change in approach for Prince William and Kate, who have traditionally shared images of their children on the eve of their birthdays. They are expected to take a similar approach when their daughter Princess Charlotte celebrates her ninth birthday on 2 May.

"It's a charming photo and it would have been a shame not to have something to mark his birthday," Majesty magazine editor Joe Little tells HELLO!. "This is what Kate would have done in previous years and it's a gesture that will be very much appreciated by the public, who have a huge amount of sympathy for her at the moment."