Kate Middleton Postponed Releasing Her Son Prince Louis' Birthday Portrait for Two Reasons: Expert

On April 23, 2024, Prince Louis, Kate Middleton and Prince William's youngest son turned six. Although the doting mother wished to pay tribute to her little boy on social media, a royal expert claimed she needed time to process it. This breaks the royal tradition because typically Kensington Palace releases portraits early in the morning to mark the celebration of the children of Wales.  

Instead of midnight, the royal couple shared the photograph (taken by Kate herself) on Tuesday afternoon while the royal enthusiasts speculated the silence as a no. However, the Princess of Wales didn't disappoint and posted an adorable zoomed-in photograph of Prince Louis grinning and sitting outside in the greens on their official account on X, formerly Twitter. 

However, according to the royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, there are two main reasons for the delay. He told the Express, "This [would have been] a shame because of the vexed issue of her Mothering Day photograph. The revelation that it was edited led to a highly embarrassing contretemps and the subsequent revelation that she was not only recovering from abdominal surgery but bravely fighting cancer." 

Meanwhile, he praised the mother of three, "The video message when she revealed this was probably the bravest by any public figure about their health in Britain." Also, her request for time and space could possibly be a cause and effect of the media scrutiny she was subjected to for her Mother's Day portrait. 

In March 2024, the 42-year-old posted a heartwarming photo of herself with her three children- Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis on the occasion of Mother's Day. Hawk-eyed social media users spotted editing mishaps on her portrait and the Princess of Wales was accused of "manipulating the image in a way that did not meet AP's photo standards." 

As a consequence, she was harshly criticized for deceiving royal fans with a fake photograph. Hany Farid, a University of California, Berkeley, computer science professor who specializes in detecting manipulated images, told ABC News, "I think it is unlikely that this is anything more than a relatively minor photo manipulation. There is no evidence that this image is entirely AI-generated." 

But by then, the damage had already been done. A few weeks later, on March 22, 2024, Middleton sent shockwaves into the world with the news of her cancer diagnosis. In a video message, she addressed the media, fans, and her well-wishers quashing rumors and conspiracy theories about her whereabouts. 

The Princess was seemingly poised and elegant while talking to the camera, briefly talking about undergoing major abdominal surgery in January this year. But ahead in her message, she revealed her condition was found to be cancerous in post-operational tests while reassuring people that she is well and taking care of herself. 

"I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body, and spirits," disclosing that she is currently receiving preventative chemotherapy treatment for her condition.