Happy Birthday, Prince Louis! All About Kate Middleton and Prince William’s 6-Year-Old Son

Prince Louis is currently fourth in line to the British throne

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s son Prince Louis is only 6 years old, but he has a larger-than-life personality.

Prince Louis was introduced to the public just seven hours after he was born on April 23, 2018, and the Princess of Wales has said it feels like it was “yesterday.” "I keep thinking Louis is a baby, but he's a big boy now,” she said during a visit to a hospital in 2022, per Hello! magazine.

Since he was a toddler, the young prince has made headlines for his adorable antics at royal events and sweet moments with his parents, siblings and other family members. The world got a taste of his outgoing personality when he was caught covering his ears on the Buckingham Palace balcony during a noisy flypast at Trooping the Colour in 2022 — which put a smile on his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth's face.

He's also been spotted making silly faces at his mom, acting cheeky with his siblings and cousins and having the most relatable reaction to tasting a s'more.

Related: Prince Louis Salutes at Trooping the Colour! See His Cutest Faces at King Charles' Birthday Parade

Princess Kate previously shared that her parents taught her "the importance of qualities like kindness, respect and honesty,” and she’s serious about ensuring Louis and his siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, learn the same. “William and I want to teach our little children…just how important these things are as they grow up,” she said in 2017. “In my view, it is just as important as excelling at maths or sport."

In recent months, the Prince and Princess of Wales have been spending private time with their family amid Kate's cancer diagnosis. The royal revealed she was receiving cancer treatment in March 2024 after post-operative tests following her "major abdominal surgery" in January "found cancer had been present."

"William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family," Kate said of the impact her health news had on her family. "It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them and to reassure them that I am going to be okay."

From growing up alongside his older siblings to stealing the show at royal events, here’s everything to know about Prince William and Kate Middleton’s youngest child, Prince Louis.

Prince Louis was born in 2018

Prince Louis was born on April 23, 2018, which happens to be St. George’s Day, a national holiday honoring the patron saint of England. Like his father and older siblings, Louis was welcomed into the world at the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London.

"Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 1101hrs," the palace announced. "The baby weighs 8lbs 7oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth."

The statement continued: "The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well."

Just seven hours after giving birth, the proud couple stepped out holding their little one, ready to bring him home. As Prince William loaded his son into the car, he told reporters he was “very happy, delighted!”

Prince Louis was christened a few months later in the Chapel Royal at St. James' Palace.

His name has a special meaning to the royal family

Prince William and Kate shared their younger son’s name in a statement on April 27, 2018. “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son Louis Arthur Charles,” Kensington Palace announced. “The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge.” The name is pronounced “LU-ee,” not “LU-iss.”

Each part of the young royal’s full name is significant to his lineage. Louis is the middle name of his brother and his great-uncle Prince Edward. It was also the name of Prince Philip’s grandfather, Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg. Arthur has a lot of royal history, including Prince Arthur Tudor of Wales and Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. It is also his father’s and grandfather King Charles' middle name. The name Charles, of course, pays tribute to his grandfather.

Charles was thrilled about the honor, saying in a statement that he and the future Queen Camilla were “so pleased at the news.” He continued, "It is a great joy to have another grandchild. The only trouble is I don’t know how I am going to keep up with them."

During a visit to the maternity ward at Royal Surrey County Hospital in 2022, Kate opened up about choosing her children's names. "[Kate] talked about her own children including how they chose their names,” Amy Stubbs, Royal Surrey County Hospital’s deputy director of midwifery, told PEOPLE. “She said they were their favorite names and that obviously the world was waiting for them to name their children — and that felt like quite a big pressure!"

He has an impressive title

Louis got a new title after the death of his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, in September 2022. He now goes by His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Wales, rather than the previous “of Cambridge.” When Charles became King, William assumed the title of Prince of Wales, giving his children altered titles.

Currently, Prince Louis is fourth in line to the British throne behind his father and siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

His over-the-top facial expressions make headlines

The royal has become a fan favorite worldwide for his facial expressions. From dancing around at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant concert to making funny faces at King Charles’ coronation, Louis never hides how he’s feeling.

"He's a cheeky monkey — a typical third child," an insider close to the royal family told PEOPLE about his antics at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in June 2022. "It's nice that the world got to see him enjoying himself."

Related: Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte Accidentally Bump Heads on Balcony at Trooping the Colour

"Louis, he was just wanting to have fun,” Mike Tindall, the husband of William’s cousin Zara, shared on his podcast after the event.

On top of being silly, he’s also extremely sweet and affectionate. "Louis doesn’t understand social distancing," Kate shared of her then-2-year-old during the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2020. "He goes out wanting to cuddle anything, particularly any babies younger than him."

He goes to school with his siblings

In August 2022, Kensington Palace announced that Prince William and Kate's children would be attending Lambrook School following the family's move to the area.

"The move is mostly down to schooling," a family friend told PEOPLE. The coeducational boarding school, located just outside of Windsor, England, would give their kids a competitive education while allowing the family more outdoor time together in the spacious countryside.

A school day for the royals looks very similar to any other kid's — their parents like to be around for school drop-off and at home for meals and quality time as much as possible.

"They are such an outdoorsy family, London just wasn't working for them anymore," a source told PEOPLE in 2022. "The countryside is definitely their happy place."

He loves baking with his siblings

Prince Louis has been known to dabble in cooking and baking with his family. Amid the pandemic, Prince William revealed that his kids had been “attacking the kitchen” to pass the time at home. “It's just been an explosion of flour and chocolate everywhere," he shared during a visit to a local bakery.

Fans got a glimpse into Louis’ hobby in March 2021 when Kate shared a photo for Mother’s Day of a cake her kids baked for her. "Celebrating two other special mothers today ❤️ 🎂 made by George, Charlotte and Louis," the caption read.

He has an adorable nickname from his mom

Prince Louis attended his first royal engagement — a campfire visit with the 3rd Upton Scout Group in Slough — in May 2023. It was at that event that Princess Kate revealed her sweet nickname for her youngest.

"Pop that in the fire, Lou Bug," she was heard saying while making s’mores. The family is no stranger to nicknames. In the past, she’s also called Charlotte “Lottie” and “Poppet,” while George calls his dad "Pops."

The same event gave fans some insight into Kate’s parenting as well. She reminded Louis, "What do you say?" as he received a s’more. "Thank you!” Louis responded.

He shares a special relationship with his sister

Princess Charlotte shares a close relationship with her little brother, and she’s been spotted showing him the ropes of royal life. After King Charles’ coronation in 2023, Prince William told a girl who asked about Charlotte that his daughter was “very tired” after the event, according to Hello! magazine, because she was very busy “making sure her little brother behaved himself.”

She also worked hard overseeing her brother at the Big Help Out, a national volunteering event. "Louis was very enthusiastic and did a good job,” Scout helper Anne Edwards told PEOPLE of the event, where the royal family painted planters.

“He was determined to do it all by himself, and he managed to dig the whole paintbrush in, flick it up, and managed to cover quite a few of us in paint!” Edwards added. “[Charlotte] was advising him, obviously! 'Don't do that, Louis!' — things like that.”

He’s his mom’s mini-me

"Everyone always comments on how Louis is the spitting image of Kate," a friend told PEOPLE in April 2020. "She loves it and thinks it's very sweet — she often jokes that he's the only one of her kids who actually looks like her!"

The two confirmed their strong resemblance when the royal parents posted a photo of Louis for his 5th birthday, and the shot of the brown-eyed, brunette child looked strikingly similar to his mom in her childhood pictures.

From a young age, Prince Louis shared a special connection with his mom. While picking out Christmas trees with schoolchildren in 2019, Kate likened one student to her youngest. “You remind me of my little Louis, he keeps saying, ‘Me, me, me.’ And he wants to come everywhere with me!” she said.

He is being raised with a love for sports

Prince Louis has been exposed to quite a variety of sports in his young life. In 2021, he was brought along on a sailing trip off the Norfolk coast. He’s also received a signed shoe from tennis player Stan Smith at Wimbledon, jetted to France to ski, tried his hand at archery and played rugby with his mom.

"She regularly plays rugby in the back garden with the children — she plays all sports with them," Nigel Gillingham, president of England’s Rugby Football Union, told PEOPLE in June 2023.

Unlike his older siblings, however, Louis has yet to make his Wimbledon debut. In July 2023, Kate told an official that Louis was bummed he couldn't join the rest of his family at the elite tennis tournament.

Still, Princess Kate shared that Louis was practicing his ballboy skills. A Wimbledon ballboy named Joel said that Kate revealed that her younger son “tries to practice the standing and staying serious like us,” per PA News. “He tries to practice the stands and how we stand at the back of the court and next to the players,” Joel added.

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