The Princess of Wales is back behind the camera, carrying on the tradition of taking a sweet photograph of her youngest child on his birthday.
Prince Louis turns six today, and Kensington Palace has released a new image of the fourth in line to the throne to mark the occasion.
The photograph was taken within the last few days in Windsor.
Royal sources have made clear that the photograph was "unedited", perhaps still recovering from the reaction of photo agencies to the 'manipulated' Mother's Day image of the Princess with her three children.
Royal sources made clear that Princess Kate's new photo was not edited
Getty
Multiple agencies issued a dramatic "kill" notice, and the Princess of Wales apologised.
Catherine said: "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day."
When the Princess of Wales bravely revealed her cancer diagnosis in a televised statement a few weeks later, she asked for privacy so she and her family could come to terms with the news while she underwent "preventative chemotherapy".
Perhaps this is why Kensington Palace did not release the photograph in the usual way via a press release the night before Prince Louis' special day.
Prince Louis posing to mark his sixth birthdayThe Princess of WalesThe custom allows for newspapers to publish the image in their morning editions.
Instead, Prince William and Catherine chose to release the image on their own terms via their own social media channels.
It is understood to be their way of showing their appreciation for the public's support and to thank them for the birthday wishes to Prince Louis.
These are unprecedented times for the Wales family, and the Princess is still undergoing cancer treatment.
Prince William and Kate broke tradition by waiting to post a birthday image of Prince Louis
PALATEST ROYAL NEWS:
Princess Charlotte will celebrate her birthday next month
GettyNext month, it is understood their daughter Princess Charlotte's birthday will be marked with a similar image released via social media.
Gone are the days that Kensington Palace has to rely on printed newspapers and television broadcasts to share images of their family with the public.
Nowadays, they have far more control and are able to distribute their own images and statements directly with the public, aided by the internet.
As a child, Prince William was forced to pose in front of crowds of photographers on a regular basis, and the Prince and Princess of Wales will not allow their own children to endure the same experience.
Instead, they insist Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis should be allowed to have as normal a childhood as possible, before destiny delivers them unique adulthoods in the public eye.
