{"id":35095,"date":"2025-04-20T08:11:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T08:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/35095\/"},"modified":"2025-04-20T08:11:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T08:11:10","slug":"kate-middletons-mixed-emotions-over-prince-louis-birthday-amid-parenting-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/35095\/","title":{"rendered":"Kate Middleton’s ‘mixed emotions’ over Prince Louis’ birthday amid parenting battle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Princess Kate is set for a day of joy and nostalgia as her youngest child Prince Louis turns seven, and a royal expert has explained why the mum of three may find this birthday particularly poignant<\/p>\n

06:00, 20 Apr 2025Updated 08:34, 20 Apr 2025<\/p>\n

\"FileYoungest Wales child Prince Louis is set to turn seven(Image: PA)<\/p>\n

The Princess of Wales<\/a> may have mixed emotions next week as the son she still thinks of as her \u201cbaby\u201d turns seven.<\/p>\n

Prince Louis<\/a> will celebrate his birthday on Wednesday, 23 April, and it\u2019s set to be a day of both joy and nostalgia for Kate, 43, who, like most mums, will feel her youngest is growing up too fast.<\/p>\n

Although a devoted mum to all three of her children, the princess is thought to have a special rapport with Louis, who she affectionately calls \u201cLou Bugs\u201d.<\/p>\n

As former BBC<\/a> royal correspondent Jennie Bond <\/a>says: \u201cBeing the youngest is often something of a privilege. You get away with a lot more and you are that little bit special as the lastborn.<\/p>\n

\u201cCatherine probably lets Louis run wild more than she did with George. She and William are very experienced parents and I\u2019m sure they love all three kids equally \u2013 but probably in different ways. George because he\u2019s the firstborn and has a destiny to fulfil, Charlotte because she\u2019s the only girl, and Louis because he\u2019s the youngest.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Prince Harry ‘requested specific security protection after al-Qaeda death threat’<\/a>\"TheAs the youngest, Louis likely got away with ‘a lot more'(Image: PA)<\/p>\n

Louis may spend part of his big day with \u201cGrandpa Wales\u201d too, as he and King Charles<\/a>, 76, are said to have their own unique bond. \u201cHe clearly loves his grandpa and is not at all in awe of the fact he happens to be the King,\u201d Jennie says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Charles cherishes every moment he can spend with the children, and that\u2019s possibly one reason why he spends more time at Windsor nowadays. I\u2019m sure Louis loves having his grandpa read to him and tell him stories, and he\u2019ll no doubt be thoroughly spoiled on his birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LONDON,It’s believed the seven year old prince will be ‘thoroughly spoiled on his birthday'(Image: Samir Hussein\/WireImage)<\/p>\n

Although he is no longer the cute-as-a-button toddler with a mischievous grin and rosy cheeks, Kate once told how she had to remind herself of her son\u2019s advancing age.<\/p>\n

\u201cI keep thinking Louis is a baby, but he\u2019s a big boy now,\u201d she said, while meeting mothers and their newborns at a Surrey maternity unit a couple of summers ago. She added that it felt \u201clike yesterday\u201d when he was a baby.<\/p>\n

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Kate\u2019s sweet nickname for Louis first became apparent during The Big Help Out in 2023, as they toasted marshmallows.<\/p>\n

\u201cPop that in the fire, Lou Bugs,\u201d she said. The name was heard again in a touching video that she and William, 42, released to mark the end of her chemotherapy last autumn. As they trekked through woods, Kate \u2013 who has since announced her cancer is in remission \u2013 was heard calling out, \u201cLou Bugs, you lead the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AKate affectionately refers to her youngest son as ‘Lou Bugs'(Image: AFP\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The three-minute video also showed her and William spending precious time with Prince George<\/a>, 11, and Princess Charlotte, nine, with the fivesome seen enjoying a picnic, a beach outing and playing games with Kate\u2019s parents Carole and Michael Middleton.<\/p>\n

With Louis hitting seven, it seems his headline-grabbing public antics of old could soon be consigned to history. As a tot, he often stole the limelight at royal events such as the Platinum Jubilee Pageant and Buckingham Palace<\/a> flypasts, pulling funny faces, sticking his tongue out or yawning.<\/p>\n

But, following the lead of his older siblings, he now seems more aware of how to conduct himself in such public settings.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharlotte seems to keep a watchful eye on her little brother and make sure he\u2019s behaving,\u201d Jennie says. \u201cShe\u2019s not always successful. But Louis has won the hearts of many people with his antics, and I\u2019d much rather see a cheeky chappie than an immaculately behaved kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LONDON,Prince Louis shares a ‘unique bond’ with his grandfather, King Charles(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Looking smart in a suit and tie at Kate\u2019s annual Together At Christmas<\/a> concert in December, Louis showed impressive poise and composure as he admired festive decorations and left a handwritten note of thanks on a \u201ckindness tree\u201d.<\/p>\n

He also recently demonstrated his grown-up photography skills for the first time, taking a striking shot of his mum to mark World Cancer Day in February. In the image, captured in frosty Windsor Castle woodland, Kate stood with her arms outstretched, with the caption reading, \u201cDon\u2019t forget to nurture all that which lies beyond the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Louis is clearly following in Kate\u2019s expert footsteps, as she has long been known to take and share beautiful family pictures on social media. On Louis\u2019 sixth birthday last April, she released a smiley portrait in which he lay on a picnic blanket barefoot in the grass, with the post reading, \u201cHappy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis!\u201d followed by a cake emoji.<\/p>\n

\"EMBARGOEDLike his mother, Prince Louis has shown an interest in photography(Image: PA)<\/p>\n

As well as snapping birthday photos of all three children, the princess regularly shares images at Christmas and on other occasions such as Mother\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

As royal author Duncan Larcombe says: \u201cHer photographs are not like the stuffy royal portraits of old, but intimate pictures of her loved ones, which we can all relate to. You can almost tell when Kate\u2019s taking the pictures, because of the way her children respond to her. There\u2019s a chemistry there.\u201d<\/p>\n

As her relaxed photos show, both Kate and William \u2013 who the children call \u201cPops\u201d \u2013 strive to give their children as normal an upbringing as they can.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir kids are always going to be different, so they can only strive for some measure of normality,\u201d says Jennie. \u201cBut it\u2019s great to see George at football matches with his dad \u2013 like last week \u2013 or the whole family jumping over sand dunes on the beach in Norfolk. These are the years when the children can come as close to normality as they ever will. They are at a co-ed day school, they live in a lovely but not overly large house and have a very hands-on granny and grandad in Carole and Mike Middleton.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Britain'sThe Prince and Princess of Wales try and ensure their children enjoy as much of a normal upbringing as possible(Image: AP)<\/p>\n

With her three children meaning the world<\/a> to Kate, the importance of motherhood informs her royal work, too. Her Shaping Us initiative is seen as her greatest passion project, raising awareness of the first five years of a child\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

As part of the campaign, the princess recently released four drawings by her and her brood, with the public having to guess the mystery artist behind each. A caption with the sketches said: \u201cDrawing portraits with children can provide a moment of connection, as you spend time looking at and focusing on one another, as well as being creative and most importantly having lots of fun together!\u201d<\/p>\n

While Kate usually makes parenting look easy, juggling life as a mum with her royal duties inevitably presents challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s tremendous pressure on her and William to carry out the demands of their roles, especially as having three young children equates to a very busy family life,\u201d says Duncan. \u201cBut not only do they seem able to manage it, they\u2019ve risen to the fore to become the jewel in the royal family<\/a> \u2019s crown.\u201d<\/p>\n

The children all attend Lambrook School in Berkshire, where they can take part in activities such as farming, beekeeping, scuba diving and podcasting.<\/p>\n

\u201cLambrook has proved a great success,\u201d Jennie says. \u201cIt aims to give its pupils the \u2018feathers to fly\u2019, so that they leave as independent, confident, kind and caring individuals. They are very lucky to have the chance to try out those kinds of activities, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TroopingJuggling parenting with royal duties can prove a challenge(Image: Ian Vogler \/ Daily Mirror)<\/p>\n

Louis\u2019 own hobbies appear to have become more grown-up recently, with William revealing last year that the youngster \u201cloves\u201d cricket<\/a>. He is also fond of rugby, with Kate once admitting during a visit to Twickenham, \u201cLouis is kamikaze, we\u2019re worrying about when he gets older, he\u2019ll be in the middle of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

As protective parents and ardent mental health campaigners, both Kate and William are no doubt keen to shield their children from the rising harms of social media. \u201cLike any parents these days, William and Catherine have a challenge on their hands trying to monitor and control their children\u2019s access to social media at too early an age,\u201d Jennie says. \u201cBut they have made their welfare an absolute priority \u2013 and that very much includes allowing them to talk about their feelings and problems. George, Charlotte and Louis couldn\u2019t have parents who are more in touch with issues surrounding mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, after a brutal year of Kate\u2019s cancer treatment and recovery, the couple are most likely to be focusing on providing plenty of fun for the children over the coming months \u2013 as seen with their February trip to Mustique. \u201cThe experience of having cancer must bring everything into sharper focus, and I\u2019m sure they cherish every moment together even more than before,\u201d adds Jennie. \u201cIt\u2019s been an incredibly tough year and, sad as it is, that has undoubtedly been a great leveller and brought the family even closer. More than anything, I think Catherine has made it clear that the simple things in life \u2013 fresh air, sunshine, picnics under the trees \u2013 are what really matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Three new Sol de Janeiro perfume mists have launched for summer\u2013 and they smell like heaven<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Princess Kate is set for a day of joy and nostalgia as her youngest child Prince Louis turns…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35096,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7708],"tags":[2420,590,192,7709,2633,7714,7713,20289,20290,533,2603,218,1761,2832,532,1762,1412,2831,7710,519,7711,7712,13856],"class_list":{"0":"post-35095","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-royals","8":"tag-parenting","9":"tag-babies","10":"tag-bbc","11":"tag-british-royal-family","12":"tag-buckingham-palace","13":"tag-catherine","14":"tag-catherine-middleton","15":"tag-declan-donnelly","16":"tag-jennie-bond","17":"tag-kate-middleton","18":"tag-love","19":"tag-mental-health","20":"tag-prince-george","21":"tag-prince-of-wales","22":"tag-prince-william","23":"tag-princess-charlotte","24":"tag-princess-diana","25":"tag-princess-of-wales","26":"tag-royal-families","27":"tag-royal-family","28":"tag-uk-royal-family","29":"tag-william","30":"tag-william-and-kate"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114369284282702949","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35095"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35095\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}