GB News Royal reporter Cameron Walker has said that the Prince and Princess of Wales wanted to "thank the public directly" for the birthday well-wishes they've received for Prince Louis as he celebrates his sixth birthday.
Prince William, 41, and Kate, 42, are understood to have been keen to share a new image of Louis on their social media accounts.
They captioned the adorable new post, saying: "Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! Thank you for all the kind wishes today."
Speaking to GB News Walker said: "I understand that initially if you remember following the Princess of Wales's cancer diagnosis, she asked for privacy for her and her family while she undergoes preventative chemotherapy.
Prince Louis posing to mark his sixth birthdayThe Princess of Wales"She is still having preventative chemotherapy at the moment. It's understood that the Prince and Princess wanted to thank the public directly for the birthday well-wishes they've received for Prince Louis today.
"So they directly released an image on their social media channels, unedited, for the public to see. It's also understood that when Princess Charlotte's birthday comes around next month, a very similar thing will happen."
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"So a celebratory photograph to mark Prince Louis sixth birthday from the Prince and Princess of Wales.
"I should add that it was the princess herself who took the image."
The photo of Prince Louis broke tradition by not being released the night before his birthday like in previous years.
Last month, Kate caused controversy by admitting she posted an edited photograph of her family to mark Mother’s Day.
Cameron spoke to Pip and Tom on GB News
GB News
The photograph was pulled from several photo agencies leaving the princess to apologise for any “confusion” on social media.
Speaking about today's snap, Walker said: "Nothing like that is in this photograph. It's not been airbrushed, it is just a single shot of Prince Louis lying on the grass.
"Royal sources have assured me that this photograph has not been edited. I think we can believe them, to be honest.
"Let's not get into conspiracy theories here, and the whole point of this photograph is to celebrate Prince Louis birthday."
Prince Louis on his third birthday KENSINGTON PALACE"There's kind of this unwritten rule between the royal household and the general public that in in exchange for privacy for the royal children as they grow up, as is clearly their right, they have decided to release every year a photograph on their birthday, and we see them sporadically throughout the year as well."
After the photo scandal, 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."