Prince Louis's 8th birthday picture offers special glimpse into private Cornwall holiday as it breaks with tradition

Prince Louis’s eighth birthday has been marked with the traditional adorable photo posted by his proud parents, but this time the picture has a rather unique feel. In the past there’s usually been an outdoorsy focus, but this time, they swapped greenery and bluebells for a coastal backdrop and shared a glimpse into a recent family holiday.

Taken by Matt Porteous who’s behind several other iconic Wales family snaps, it shows the Prince and Princess of Wales’s youngest son leaning against boat railings with rolling blue waves in the background. Beaming at the camera, Louis is dressed a little more casually than usual too, in a blue half-zip jumper and polo shirt.

Over the years the Wales kids’ birthday portraits have gradually got more and more relaxed and personal - and this continues the new trend.

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According to reports, Matt Porteous took this photo during the family’s recent trip to Cornwall in the Easter holidays. It gives us an insight into Prince Louis in an off-duty setting, completely away from the public eye and enjoying family time by the sea.

Although not confirmed by the palace, the railings behind the Prince look to be part of a boat and if so, this would be a first for these kinds of royal pictures. Never before have we seen the Wales kids take to the ocean and their mum is a keen sailor herself.

She’s demonstrated her skills several times at engagements in the past and reports have claimed Kate has been teaching Prince George, Charlotte and Louis too. These kinds of trips are strictly private and so any pictures taken during them are a rare and special thing.

Louis’s last few birthday pictures, including his 7th birthday snap taken by Josh Shinner, have all been taken closer to home. He’s been seen either in the garden or woodland of Norfolk where the family have their Anmer Hall residence. It’s lovely that the Prince and Princess of Wales have switched things up this year and given us a glimpse of what a holiday is like for them.

The Wales family have been out of the spotlight for several weeks now as Prince William and Kate generally pause their public-facing duties during the school holidays. They were last seen all together on Easter Sunday when they attended church at St George's Chapel.

Prince Louis’s sweet Easter moment with King Charles immediately caught fans’ attention and was a highlight of the day for many people. Over the years he’s become famous for his cheeky antics at events like Trooping the Colour and Getty royal photographer Chris Jackson included a picture of one of these in his book, Modern Monarchy: The British Royal Family In A New Era.

"I had to include a shot from 2022 that showed one of Queen Elizabeth II's last appearances on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, when Prince Louis put his hands over his ears as the RAF Red Arrows roared overhead," Chris told Hello!, adding that it’s "that kind of heart-warming situation that has [him] chuckling behind the camera."

Nowadays Prince Louis is so grown-up at big formal occasions and the 8th birthday picture captures this too. He’ll be spending most of his special day in lessons at Lambrook School, but there’ll no doubt be a private celebration when he gets home and possibly a delicious cake home-made by mum Kate.