Say Cheese! Prince Louis Shows Off Missing Teeth and Long Pants in 7th Birthday Portrait

Say cheese! Prince Louis showed off his missing teeth in a new portrait commemorating his 7th birthday.

Louis’ gap-toothed grin wasn’t the only thing different about his look this year, though. The photo also marked the first time he’s worn long pants in a birthday picture. In all of the previous years’ official tributes, the youngest child of Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton was dressed in traditional shorts, often paired with knee-high socks — a nod to the royal family’s preference for classic children’s attire.

However, this year, Louis switched things up. He wore a dark green sweater layered over a blue and white collared button-down, along with a pair of casual jeans. The more laid-back look seemed to reflect both his age and the modern parenting style his parents have seemingly embraced over the years.

“Wishing Prince Louis a very Happy 7th Birthday!” read the caption on the official Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales, who shared the new photo on Wednesday, April 23.

The image quickly racked up likes and comments from royal watchers around the world, many of whom noted just how much Louis resembles his mom and even his maternal grandfather, Michael Middleton.

“He’s the spitting image of Catherine in this photo,” wrote one Instagram user.

In addition to the portrait, the royal couple’s official Instagram account also posted a short video montage of Louis spending time outdoors, showcasing the family’s love of nature and active lifestyle. In one clip, the young prince could be heard saying, “I can now jump from here?” before leaping over a fallen log. The footage gave fans a rare peek into Louis’ personality as he ran around outside.

Louis, who was born on April 23, 2017, at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, is currently fourth in line to the British throne, following his grandfather King Charles III, his father, Prince William and his older brother, Prince George, 11. However, a source previously revealed that William, 42, and Kate, 43, didn’t want Louis and Princess Charlotte, 9, to be “working royals.”

“The working assumption is that the younger two children will get on and do their own thing,” a former Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace staffer told The Daily Beast in June 2024. “They will be encouraged to not become working royals.”

The insider continued, “The option isn’t there for George, of course, but the children have been kept at arm’s length from royal life. They are exposed to the minimum possible publicity, and that is a deliberate strategy to let Charlotte and Louis choose their own destiny.”

A separate insider told the publication that William’s fraught relationship with Prince Harry also played a part in the decision.

“It is no secret that William has been devastated by the destruction of his relationship with Harry,” the source said. “Although he absolutely puts the blame on Meghan [Markle] and Harry, he does, of course, also appreciate that the whole system, where one of your kids is less important than the other due to an accident of birth, had a massive part to play in what happened and how it happened.”