The unexpected inspiration behind Prince Louis's 'first words' revealed by Kate Middleton

One of Prince Louis’s "first words" was revealed by the Princess of Wales and the inspiration behind it is unexpected but sweet.

Prince Louis is about to turn 6 and although he’s still very young, being fourth in the royal line of succession means that fans have already been given plenty of intriguing insights into everything from his food preferences, to his cheeky personality. Proud parents Prince William and Kate have often shared anecdotes about him at engagements. However, it was during a special TV appearance a year after he was born that the Princess of Wales revealed one of Prince Louis’s first words. 

Anyone expecting it to perhaps be "Mama" or "Dada", or even his siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s names might be more than a little surprised to learn it was "Mary". Not only that, but this was inspired by someone Prince Louis had never even met!

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Kate made the revelation when she and Prince William joined baking royalty Dame Mary Berry for her BBC special, A Berry Royal Christmas in 2019. Speaking about her much-loved cookbook collection, the Princess of Wales revealed that Prince Louis had said Mary’s name very early on.

"One of Louis’s first words was ‘Mary’, because right at his height are all my cooking books in the kitchen bookshelf," she shared. "And children are really fascinated by faces, and your faces are all over your cooking books and he would say ‘That’s Mary Berry’."

According to Kate her youngest son (who was only 1 at the time) would "definitely recognise" Mary Berry if he saw her, thanks to these cookbooks.

Who knows whether he’ll end up meeting Dame Mary one day, but it’s adorable to think that she gripped his imagination as a young child and inspired one of Prince Louis’s first words. 

The Princess of Wales went on to explain that Dame Mary’s recipes are also her go-to when it comes to making pizzas with Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George. Asked by Mary whether she cooks with the three children, Kate responded, "Yes, I really enjoy it. Again, for them to be creative, for them to try and be as independent as possible with it."

During the Platinum Jubilee weekend fans got a glimpse of Kate baking with Prince George, Charlotte and Louis as they prepared fairy cakes for a street party. One thing she doesn’t bake with them, though, is their birthday cakes which is something the Princess of Wales famously hand-crafts late at night before their big days.

"I love making the cake," she told Mary. "It's become a bit of a tradition that I sort of stay up until midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing. I make far too much, but I love it."

Birthday cake making is a labour of love for the future Queen and she might well be preparing to make Prince Louis’s 6th birthday cake for 23rd April, though all three of her children are also said to make things for her too. As well as the indulgent recipe Prince George, Charlotte and Louis make for Kate, their baking handiwork was showcased in 2021 when a picture of their Mother’s Day cake for her was shared on social media. 

Whilst it's not known what recipe they used, Kate clearly has more than a few Mary Berry books in her kitchen that might have inspired Prince Louis and his siblings.