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Prince Louis Is All Grown Up in His 4th Birthday Photos — at the Beach! See All 4

Kate Middleton and Prince William's youngest child knows how to steal the show

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Published on April 22, 2022 05:39 PM

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Prince Louis of Cambridge posing for a photograph, taken by his mother, Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Norfolk, eastern England 4th Birthday Portraits — Prince Louis. Photo: KENSINGTON PALACE/AFP via Getty Images

Life's a beach for Prince Louis!

Kate Middleton and Prince William's youngest child turns 4 on Saturday, and the proud parents marked the occasion by releasing four new photos of the little prince. Taken earlier this month by Kate near the family's country home in Norfolk, the photos show Prince Louis playing on the sand.

Bearing a striking resemblance to both brother Prince George, 8, and sister Princess Charlotte, 6, Louis sprints in front of the camera with a smile on his face and playfully holds a cricket ball.

"4 years old tomorrow!" William and Kate captioned a special post in honor of Louis' birthday on their official social media account.

As has become a tradition for the Cambridge kids, the adorable birthday photos were shot by Kate.

The family of five are regulars at the beaches of North Norfolk, which is a short drive from their Anmer Hall home. Last year, William and Kate shared a sweet family video that showed the children climbing the sand dunes and toasting marshmallows over a fire.

Last year, Prince Louis' third birthday coincided with his first week of preschool. In the portrait released for the occasion, he was all smiles sporting a backpack and posing on his red bike ahead of his first day at London's Willcocks Nursery School, the same school big sister Princess Charlotte attended.

To celebrate his second birthday in 2020, Kate and William shared photos of Prince Louis taking part in a special at-home arts and crafts project: rainbow-colored finger paintings in support of National Health Service (NHS) workers and other essential workers tackling the coronavirus pandemic across the country.

The adorable photos — in which Louis kept his clothes impeccably clean despite smearing paint all over his face — were also taken by Kate.

Even at his young age, Prince Louis has been preparing for royal life. He made his red carpet debut in Dec. 2020 during a family night out at the theater and made his first public speaking appearance alongside his older siblings in Oct. 2020, asking his very own animal question to Sir David Attenborough in a video shared on social media. Louis adorably asked the famed naturalist, "What animal do you like?"

But perhaps his most famous moment to date was his debut on the Buckingham Palace balcony in June 2019 for Trooping the Colour, the annual public celebration of Queen Elizabeth's birthday.

His enthusiastic waving and pointing at the planes flying overhead was a scene-stealing moment — and even had his parents controlling their giggles.

Prince Louis, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Samir Hussein/WireImage

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It's likely that Louis will make another Trooping the Colour appearance this June when the royal family gathers for the event amid a weekend of festivities marking the monarch's Platinum Jubilee, which celebrates her record-breaking 70 years on the throne.