Prince Louis: All you need to know about Prince William and Princess Kate's youngest – and cheekiest – child
Prince Louis is well known for his cheeky moments, whether it be shushing his mum, Princess Kate, during the late Queen'sPlatinum Jubilee celebrations or blowing out candles at his mother's carol concert.
But while you might know the young prince as 'Britain's cheekiest royal', how much do you actually know about the youngster? From his introduction to the public to his close relationship with his royal relatives, there's more to Louis than might initially meet the eye…
Read on to discover all you need to know about the youngest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales…
Birth
Prince Louis was born on 23 April 2018 and arrived at 11:01am with his mother giving birth to him in St Mary's Hospital, in Paddington. William and Kate presented their newborn son to the public just seven hours after his birth, swaddling him in the same blanket that Prince George and Princess Charlotte made their debuts in.
The young prince's name was announced four days later with the Prince and Princess of Wales choosing the name Louis Arthur Charles for their son. All three monikers have special meaning to the royal family with 'Louis' being William's great-grandfather's name, as well as his own middle name. Meanwhile, Arthur has a long royal lineage and is the middle name of his father and grandfather, while Charles is an obvious reference to William's own father.
More on Louis
Royal kids' most unexpected outfits: from Lady Louise Windsor to Prince Archie
Princess Kate's brilliant life lessons for her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
Prince William's adorable bedtime routine with Prince Louis revealed
Unexpected royal playtime rule Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis have to follow
King Charles' special nod to George, Charlotte and Louis on first royal outing didn't go unnoticed
Of course, the youngster appears to have a different name at home, with his mum revealing his sweet nickname in 2023 when they cooked s'mores together. "Pop that in the fire, Lou Bug," Kate was heard telling her son.
Louis isn't the only member of the royal family to have arrived on 23 April, as Prince Michael of Kent's daughter, Lady Gabriella Kingston, was born on the same day back in 1981.
Louis was christened three months after his arrival and his godparents were named as nightclub owner Guy Pelly, William's childhood pal Nicholas van Cutsem, Kate's close friend Hannah Gillingham Carter and her cousin, Lucy Middleton, as well as Harry Aubrey-Fletcher and Lady Laura Meade.
Cheekiness
Louis has spent much of his childhood outside of the public gaze, but the young royal always manages to capture attention when out at royal events due to his behaviour. During the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the youngster was seen covering his ears during a loud fly-by and showcased a wide range of expressions during the proceedings.
From that moment on, Louis and his expressions became the most anticipated part of a royal event, and during a Trooping the Colour ceremony, the young prince was seen pretending to ride a motorcycle and while at Kate's Christmas carol concert, he attempted to blow out nearby candles.
Mike Tindall, who made an 'I'm watching you gesture' at the young royal during the Platinum Jubilee commented: "Louis, he was just wanting to have fun."
School life
Whereas Prince George and Princess Charlotte went to nursery around the age of two and a half, Louis started at age three due to the pandemic lockdown. While living in London, he attended Willcocks nursery, which was just a short drive from his home in Kensington Palace.
In 2022, Louis started attending Lambrook School in Windsor alongside his older siblings. The starting of his new school life also marked the Wales family moving to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, which is where Louis currently resides.
Close bonds with family
Although Louis' cheeky behaviour is what normally makes the headlines, the youngster also has the sweetest bond with his royal relatives and this is always on display during his outings.
While at his grandfather's coronation in 2023, Louis could be seen pointing various things out to his older sister, who made sure to keep him in line. Days after the service, William joked: "She's [Charlotte] very tired after yesterday. She's having a quiet day at home. It was making sure her little brother behaved himself."
Meanwhile, during the royals' traditional Christmas outing to Sandringham, he was seen holding the hand of his cousin Mia Tindall. The duo flashed big smiles as onlookers waved at them during their route to the Christmas Day service.
And of course, Louis' grandfather, King Charles, has a special place in the royal's heart and their bond was on full display during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations when Louis was seen crawling onto his grandfather's lap.
Hobbies
As a little tyke, Louis has plenty of hobbies including cricket and rugby, although his mum called the young royal's playing style "kamikaze". She added: "We're worrying about when he gets older, he'll be in the middle of everything."
It also appears that the six-year-old loves tennis and his mother reportedly told an official at Wimbledon about her son's disappointment that he couldn't be in the audience.
Louis also has an interest in diggers. "The children, especially Louis would love to come and watch that, to see the diggers, they love it," William revealed during an outing to a construction company. "We've been lambing with the children this week. Charlotte wasn't sure at first, but George was straight in there. Louis loves the tractors. They love seeing the lambs and feeding the lambs."
