Prince Louis' Upcoming Birthday Has Us Wondering About Kate Middleton

Prince Louis' birthday is just around the corner and we're wondering how Catherine, Princess of Wales, plans to navigate the occasion. It's no secret that Kate Middleton's public appearances have been notably sparse since Christmas 2023. And while the public was initially confused about Kate's lack of public engagements since undergoing abdominal surgery in January, she's since credited her lengthy sabbatical to her cancer diagnosis. Fortunately, the curious public has finally given her some much-deserved privacy and decreased their expectations about her taking on royal duties. However, many have questions about how she'll handle important dates going forward.

For example, Kate marked Mother's Day 2024 with a photo of herself posing with her three kids. However, AP News and other photo agencies flagged the photo as being doctored, inspiring yet another round of disturbing conspiracy theories about Kate's health. Following the hubbub, Kate took the blame for the Photoshop fiasco, likening herself to an amateur photographer, who self-edited the snaps. "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," Kate posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "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. C."

In the meantime, it would probably be best for Kate to take a break from posting photos, as any new images will be heavily scrutinized. But doing so would break a long-standing tradition Kate started for her children's birthdays.

Since Prince George's birth, Kate Middleton and Prince William have faithfully released photos of their kids on their birthdays. According to Us Weekly, they kicked off the annual tradition when their oldest was still in diapers and have continued every year since. For the first photo, the royal parents utilized the professional services of photographer John Stillwell. However, Kate has sometimes opted to take the photos herself. With Prince Louis' sixth birthday landing on April 23, 2024, the couple's youngest child is definitely due for a new portrait — but will Kate skip this year? Well the royal experts who spoke with Fox News in late March are cautiously leaning toward "yes."

Royal expert Christopher Andersen urged Kate to tread with caution. "My suggestion would be to either have Kate take the photo and not retouch it or have Kate take it and explain in advance how and why she altered the photo, or have a professional photographer take it and do all the explaining," Anderson told the outlet. He continued, "I mean, will it really matter? The conspiracy theories will continue anyway. That particular genie is out of the bottle." Meanwhile, royal broadcaster Helena Chard doesn't believe Kate would dare to alter another photo. "I realize there is the discussion of trust, but I can assure you the princess will never release an edited news photo again," Chard added.

There's really no way to know whether Kate Middleton will feel comfortable enough to release a new birthday portrait for Prince Louis. In the meantime, observers can refer to the prince's 2023 portrait. To commemorate his fifth birthday, Kate and Prince William posted a photo of Louis smiling inside a wheelbarrow as Kate pushed him. "Someone's turning 5 tomorrow ... A very happy birthday to Prince Louis," they posted to the Kensington Royal Instagram account. Because Kate appeared in the photo, it's pretty obvious she wasn't the photographer. That would be Millie Pilkingto,n who's photographed several of their family's big moments — including their 2023 Father's Day portrait.

Given the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the royal family's heads, it would be great if Kate decided to accompany Prince Louis in his birthday snap. However, even if Kate decides to skip the birthday photo-op this year, she's already set another adorable birthday tradition in place for her kids. A few years ago, she revealed that she often stayed up super late to make her kids a homemade birthday cake. "I love making the cake," Kate shared during "A Berry Royal Christmas" (via People). "It's become a bit of a tradition that I stay up 'til midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing, and I make far too much. But I love it." Hopefully, the princess will feel up to the task as she undergoes chemotherapy.