While his family sat watching the parade at the Queen Victoria Memorial, the young prince delighted fans by casually mimicking his older brother George\u2019s hair flick<\/a>, before playfully tugging at his father\u2019s RAF uniform. It was far from the first time Louis has had onlookers in stitches, and hopefully it won\u2019t be the last. Whether he\u2019s cheekily pulling faces at his mother, perching on his grandfather\u2019s knee or dancing on the Buckingham Palace<\/a> balcony, Louis has rapidly won our hearts.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Prince Louis’ adorable moment with grandpa King Charles spotted at Easter service<\/a>READ MORE: William and Kate lead the royals in huge show of unity as they celebrate Easter<\/a> Prince Louis at the royals’ Easter service last week (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n As the youngest of Prince William<\/a> \u2019s children and fourth in line to the throne, he may be a spare\u201d, but there\u2019s little likelihood he\u2019ll be fading into the background. As William himself said: \u201cHe\u2019s a character, but he\u2019s a very good boy. He likes to wind his brother and sister up.\u201d Now, as Louis approaches his eighth birthday on April 23, all eyes will be on his continued transition into public life.<\/p>\n His growing age will no doubt bring an increasing understanding of his own royal role, but also an awareness that his older brother George, 12, is destined for different things. \u201cAs Louis comes up to his eighth birthday, he is going to realise that his big brother is the kingpin \u2013 with the emphasis on King,\u201d says former BBC<\/a> royal correspondent Jennie Bond.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s difficult enough bringing up three children in a normal household, so I don\u2019t envy the family dynamics that destiny has dealt William and Catherine with their brood.\u201d<\/p>\n Nevertheless, royal experts say William and Kate are determined to ensure their thirdborn \u2013 who Kate calls Lou Bug \u2013 feels just as cherished as his older siblings. They are no doubt all too aware that the role of the royal \u201cspare\u201d can be a challenging one, as highlighted by Prince Harry<\/a> in his memoir by the same name. \u201cI was the shadow, the support, the Plan B,\u201d he claimed, after he and wife Meghan stepped down from royal life. \u201cI was brought into the world<\/a> in case something happened to Willy.\u201d<\/p>\n Louis waves to the crowds(Image: PA)<\/p>\n “After all that\u2019s happened with Harry, William and Catherine are bound to be hugely sensitive to how they bring up Charlotte and Louis,\u201d Jennie explains.<\/p>\n \u201cAt home, I\u2019m sure they strive to ensure that all three children are treated exactly the same. But there can\u2019t be many people better qualified to deal with this complex situation than Catherine. She has invested so much of her time and brainpower in learning about early development and childhood that I\u2019m sure she will find the best way to navigate what could be a tricky situation.\u201d<\/p>\n Kate has spent more than a decade researching early childhood development, a key focus for her official work since she launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021. \u201cIt\u2019s a real passion of mine,\u201d she said. “Learning about babies\u2019 brains, about how our adult brains develop and how our early childhood influences the adults we become.\u201d<\/p>\n And she no doubt puts her learnings into practice at home, as she shields her brood from the pressures of royal life. George, Charlotte and Louis are being gradually introduced to public life when they reach appropriate milestones, and they attend the same prep school, Lambrook, near their Berkshire home.<\/p>\n Louis with his parents William and Kate and siblings George and Charlotte (Image: @KensingtonRoyal\/Josh Shinner)<\/p>\n It\u2019s also apparent from family footage that they are a close-knit bunch, keen on wholesome, outdoorsy activities. Videos show them sharing picnics, climbing trees and playing near the beach, while Louis is partial to collecting conkers too. \u201cWe keep finding conkers in cupboards, in his bed \u2013 conkers everywhere,\u201d laughed Kate.<\/p>\n The young prince also learns the drums, leading William to joke: \u201cIt\u2019s why I spend most of my time with my fingers in my ears,\u201d and he\u2019s \u201cobsessed\u201d with trampolining, often with his sister. As far as I can tell they just end up jumping up and down on the trampoline, beating each other up most of the time,\u201d joked William.<\/p>\n \u201cBehind closed doors, Kate juggles school drop-off, pick-up, homework, play dates, clubs and even tears, like anybody else,\u201d says royal expert Katie Nicholl. \u201cPeople who see her at clubs say she\u2019s like any working parent, dressed in jeans and flat pumps, without make-up.\u201d<\/p>\n Like many children, the trio enjoy baking sweet treats \u2013 who can forget the adorable footage of Louis sifting flour and Charlotte cracking eggs, as they made cupcakes for their great-grandmother Elizabeth II\u2019s Platinum Jubilee? Kate even revealed that one of Louis\u2019 first words was \u201cMary\u201d because Mary Berry\u2019s cookery books were at his height on the kitchen bookshelf.<\/p>\n Kate with all three of her children at last year’s VE Day commemorations (Image: Ian Vogler \/ Daily Mirror)<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the last things we cooked at home was your pizza dough,\u201d the princess told the legendary cook. \u201cLouis loves beetroots, and Charlotte, obviously, loves Charlotte potatoes.\u201d<\/p>\n With no live-in staff, home life is refreshingly normal for Kate, William and their family. \u201cWe sit and chat, none of the children have phones,\u201d William revealed on Eugene Levy\u2019s series The Reluctant Traveller.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important thing in my life is family, and everything is about the future and about if you don\u2019t start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you\u2019re setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall. We try to make sure we give them the security and the safety that they need.\u201d<\/p>\n Louis on his seventh birthday last year (Image: Josh Shinner)<\/p>\n George may be set to become King, but with a newly \u201cslimmed down\u201d monarchy on the horizon, Charlotte and Louis are also likely to play pivotal roles in The Firm.<\/p>\n And, as royal author Hugo Vickers says, one of Kate\u2019s most important responsibilities will be to maintain their stable upbringing as they grow into their respective roles. After all, the trio are quite literally the future of the monarchy.<\/p>\n \u201cKate and William are concentrating on the children and doing a really good job,\u201d says Hugo. \u201cThey do the school run, they go to matches and they have supper together. You hear so much about the royal family<\/a> being dysfunctional, and I think Catherine and William will be concentrating on giving their family a really sound and happy childhood.<\/p>\n “It will pay off in the long run \u2013 if they get it right, they\u2019ll be performing the nation and Commonwealth a fantastic service, because it\u2019s going to be difficult for this generation of the royal family to work out how to make the royal family really relevant. The next generation can bring energy to the royal family, which is what you very much need.\u201d<\/p>\n Hugo adds: \u201cThe children are the great card for the future. They are all so cute, and they all look great in their different ways. Princess Charlotte is a very grown-up 10-year-old, Prince George<\/a> is very sporty and Prince Louis is sharply intelligent.<\/p>\n “That take-off of his brother, when he tossed his head, was brilliantly observed. People say he\u2019s a scamp, but I think he\u2019s very bright, and I think he\u2019s going to be a huge asset.\u201d<\/p>\n Get the inside scoop on the monarchy with Mirror Royal<\/p>\n WHATSAPP GROUP: Be first to get the biggest royal bombshells and exclusives to your phone by joining our Royal WhatsApp here.<\/a><\/p>\n We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Prince](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_The-British-Royal-Family-Attend-The-2026-Easter-Matins-Service-At-St-Georges-Chapel.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Louis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_Easter-Service-at-St-Georges-Chapel.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Louis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2_Christmas-Wished-from-William-and-Catherine-Prince-and-Princess-of-Wales.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_VE-Day-Royals.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Louis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/5_MAP_CHP_230425Prince_30407coffin.jpg\")
<\/p>\n