The Princess of Wales may have mixed emotions next week as the son she still thinks of as her “baby” turns seven. Prince Louis will celebrate his birthday on Wednesday, 23 April, and it’s set to be a day of both joy and nostalgia for Kate, 43, who, like most mums, will feel her youngest is growing up too fast. Although a devoted mum to all three of her children, the princess is thought to have a special rapport with Louis, who she affectionately calls “Lou Bugs”. As former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond says: “Being the youngest is often something of a privilege. You get away with a lot more and you are that little bit special as the lastborn. “Catherine probably lets Louis run wild more than she did with George. She and William are very experienced parents and I’m sure they love all three kids equally – but probably in different ways. George because he’s the firstborn and has a destiny to fulfil, Charlotte because she’s the only girl, and Louis because he’s the youngest.” Louis may spend part of his big day with “Grandpa Wales” too, as he and King Charles , 76, are said to have their own unique bond. “He clearly loves his grandpa and is not at all in awe of the fact he happens to be the King,” Jennie says. “I think Charles cherishes every moment he can spend with the children, and that’s possibly one reason why he spends more time at Windsor nowadays. I’m sure Louis loves having his grandpa read to him and tell him stories, and he’ll no doubt be thoroughly spoiled on his birthday.” Although he is no longer the cute-as-a-button toddler with a mischievous grin and rosy cheeks, Kate once told how she had to remind herself of her son’s advancing age. “I keep thinking Louis is a baby, but he’s a big boy now,” she said, while meeting mothers and their newborns at a Surrey maternity unit a couple of summers ago. She added that it felt “like yesterday” when he was a baby. Kate’s sweet nickname for Louis first became apparent during The Big Help Out in 2023, as they toasted marshmallows. “Pop that in the fire, Lou Bugs,” she said. The name was heard again in a touching video that she and William, 42, released to mark the end of her chemotherapy last autumn. As they trekked through woods, Kate – who has since announced her cancer is in remission – was heard calling out, “Lou Bugs, you lead the way.” The three-minute video also showed her and William spending precious time with Prince George , 11, and Princess Charlotte, nine, with the fivesome seen enjoying a picnic, a beach outing and playing games with Kate’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton. With Louis hitting seven, it seems his headline-grabbing public antics of old could soon be consigned to history. As a tot, he often stole the limelight at royal events such as the Platinum Jubilee Pageant and Buckingham Palace flypasts, pulling funny faces, sticking his tongue out or yawning. But, following the lead of his older siblings, he now seems more aware of how to conduct himself in such public settings. “Charlotte seems to keep a watchful eye on her little brother and make sure he’s behaving,” Jennie says. “She’s not always successful. But Louis has won the hearts of many people with his antics, and I’d much rather see a cheeky chappie than an immaculately behaved kid.” Looking smart in a suit and tie at Kate’s annual Together At Christmas concert in December, Louis showed impressive poise and composure as he admired festive decorations and left a handwritten note of thanks on a “kindness tree”. He also recently demonstrated his grown-up photography skills for the first time, taking a striking shot of his mum to mark World Cancer Day in February. In the image, captured in frosty Windsor Castle woodland, Kate stood with her arms outstretched, with the caption reading, “Don’t forget to nurture all that which lies beyond the disease.” Louis is clearly following in Kate’s expert footsteps, as she has long been known to take and share beautiful family pictures on social media. On Louis’ sixth birthday last April, she released a smiley portrait in which he lay on a picnic blanket barefoot in the grass, with the post reading, “Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis!” followed by a cake emoji. As well as snapping birthday photos of all three children, the princess regularly shares images at Christmas and on other occasions such as Mother’s Day. As royal author Duncan Larcombe says: “Her photographs are not like the stuffy royal portraits of old, but intimate pictures of her loved ones, which we can all relate to. You can almost tell when Kate’s taking the pictures, because of the way her children respond to her. There’s a chemistry there.” As her relaxed photos show, both Kate and William – who the children call “Pops” – strive to give their children as normal an upbringing as they can. “Their kids are always going to be different, so they can only strive for some measure of normality,” says Jennie. “But it’s great to see George at football matches with his dad – like last week – or the whole family jumping over sand dunes on the beach in Norfolk. These are the years when the children can come as close to normality as they ever will. They are at a co-ed day school, they live in a lovely but not overly large house and have a very hands-on granny and grandad in Carole and Mike Middleton.” With her three children meaning the world to Kate, the importance of motherhood informs her royal work, too. Her Shaping Us initiative is seen as her greatest passion project, raising awareness of the first five years of a child’s life. As part of the campaign, the princess recently released four drawings by her and her brood, with the public having to guess the mystery artist behind each. A caption with the sketches said: “Drawing portraits with children can provide a moment of connection, as you spend time looking at and focusing on one another, as well as being creative and most importantly having lots of fun together!” While Kate usually makes parenting look easy, juggling life as a mum with her royal duties inevitably presents challenges. “There’s tremendous pressure on her and William to carry out the demands of their roles, especially as having three young children equates to a very busy family life,” says Duncan. “But not only do they seem able to manage it, they’ve risen to the fore to become the jewel in the royal family ’s crown.” The children all attend Lambrook School in Berkshire, where they can take part in activities such as farming, beekeeping, scuba diving and podcasting. “Lambrook has proved a great success,” Jennie says. “It aims to give its pupils the ‘feathers to fly’, so that they leave as independent, confident, kind and caring individuals. They are very lucky to have the chance to try out those kinds of activities, too.” Louis’ own hobbies appear to have become more grown-up recently, with William revealing last year that the youngster “loves” cricket . He is also fond of rugby, with Kate once admitting during a visit to Twickenham, “Louis is kamikaze, we’re worrying about when he gets older, he’ll be in the middle of everything.” As protective parents and ardent mental health campaigners, both Kate and William are no doubt keen to shield their children from the rising harms of social media. “Like any parents these days, William and Catherine have a challenge on their hands trying to monitor and control their children’s access to social media at too early an age,” Jennie says. “But they have made their welfare an absolute priority – and that very much includes allowing them to talk about their feelings and problems. George, Charlotte and Louis couldn’t have parents who are more in touch with issues surrounding mental health.” However, after a brutal year of Kate’s cancer treatment and recovery, the couple are most likely to be focusing on providing plenty of fun for the children over the coming months – as seen with their February trip to Mustique. “The experience of having cancer must bring everything into sharper focus, and I’m sure they cherish every moment together even more than before,” adds Jennie. “It’s been an incredibly tough year and, sad as it is, that has undoubtedly been a great leveller and brought the family even closer. More than anything, I think Catherine has made it clear that the simple things in life – fresh air, sunshine, picnics under the trees – are what really matters.”