New Portraits Celebrating Prince Louis’ 5th Birthday Break Long-Standing Royal Tradition

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The youngest child of Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrated his birthday today. As he turned 5 years old, the royal family marked Prince Louis' big day by releasing new birthday portraits, a tradition with the family. Instagram

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The little prince is getting older! Ahead of his fifth birthday, the royals released an official portrait of Louis, who celebrates his birthday on April 23. BUT THIS YEAR’S PHOTOS BREAK A LONG-STANDING TRADITION FOR BIRTHDAY PORTRAITS OF THE ROYAL KIDS. Max Mumby/Getty Images

In one of the two photos, Louis is joined by his mom, Kate, pushing him in the wheelbarrow he's hanging out in. TWO PHOTOS WERE RELEASED, AND ANOTHER ROYAL FAMILY MEMBER JOINED LOUIS IN ONE OF THEM. Handout/Millie Pilkington/Kensington Palace via Getty Images

IT'S BEEN A ROYAL TRADITION TO HAVE KATE TAKE THE OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS FOR HER KIDS' BIRTHDAYS. Because we can see Kate in the one birthday image for Prince Louis, it's obvious she didn't take the photos this year, breaking away from that tradition. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

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The tradition of Kate being the official photographer for birthday images of the royal children has been the case for several years. KATE HAS BEEN BEHIND THE CAMERA FOR YEARS, SNAPPING MANY OF THE OFFICIAL IMAGES FOR THESE BIRTHDAYS. instagram

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Kate was also behind the lens for all of Charlotte's other birthday images, several images for Prince William's birthday and Father's Day, Louis' birthdays, and the more recent image for George's birthdays. Getty Images

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HAVING LOUIS' PORTRAIT IS A BREAK FROM TRADITION, BUT IT'S NICE TO SEE KATE IN THE PHOTO WITH HER YOUNGEST SON. instagram

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Just last week, a new photo was released for what would have been Queen Elizabeth's 97th birthday, and Kate took that photo. Getty Images Read more