Prince Louis' fifth birthday marked by wheelbarrow photo

An image of a smiling Prince Louis being pushed in a wheelbarrow by his mother is one of two released to mark his fifth birthday on Sunday.

The other is a close-up shot of the beaming youngster as he sits in the wheelbarrow.

Louis is fourth in line to the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth II last September.

In a fresh departure from tradition, the photos were taken by photographer Millie Pilkington and not Catherine.

Photos by his mother, the Princess of Wales, have been regularly used to mark the young royals' birthdays.

Earlier this week, Catherine released a picture of the late Queen surrounded by some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to mark what would have been her 97th birthday.

The 41-year-old is a keen photographer and patron of the Royal Photographic Society.

In 2021, the Princess of Wales released a pandemic photography book "Hold Still" in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery.

Louis attends the private Lambrook School near Ascot in Berkshire with his siblings, Prince George, nine, and Princess Charlotte, seven.

For the King's coronation on 6 May, the young prince is expected to accompany his siblings in the procession from Westminster Abbey, according to newspaper reports.

He was not seen at the Queen's state funeral at Westminster Abbey, thought to have been too young to attend the service with his parents.

He was born on St George's Day - 23 April - 2018 in St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, weighing 8lb 7oz.

At 11 weeks old, he was christened Louis Arthur Charles by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, at the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace.

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