Britain’s Princess Kate shares birthday photo of Prince Louis in wake of edit furore
The youngest son of Prince William and his wife Catherine turned six on Tuesday, with the princess, who is being treated for cancer, credited with taking a photo released for the occasion.
Louis is the youngest of their three children, with George, aged 10, and Charlotte due to celebrate her ninth birthday next month.
The image of a smiling Prince Louis was posted directly on the couple’s social media accounts and not sent in advance to media organisations under embargo, as in previous years.
Its release comes after a furore last month surrounding a Mother’s Day photograph of Kate and her three children that leading news agencies, including Agence France-Presse and Reuters, withdrew because it had been digitally altered.
That image had been intended to put an end to fevered online speculation about the princess’ whereabouts and health as she recuperated from abdominal surgery in January.
But her later admission that she edited it only fuelled rumours, and soon afterwards she released a video announcing she was receiving preventive chemotherapy for an unspecified cancer.
Kate, UK’s Princess of Wales, says sorry for edited photograph
Kate, UK’s Princess of Wales, says sorry for edited photograph
Heir to the throne William has only just returned to official duties since that announcement, and Kate herself will only return to the public spotlight when her medical team say she is well enough to do so.
Britain’s domestic Press Association news agency described the photograph of Louis as an “unedited close-up image”.
His parents – Britain’s next king and queen – wrote in the post: “Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! Thank you for all the kind wishes today.”
The credit as photographer was signed “The Princess of Wales” – Kate’s official title.
