The Prince and Princess of Wales's youngest son Prince Louis is set for a "confident" future, according to royal author Phil Dampier.
Speaking to HELLO! in this week's edition of the magazine, Phil gave his verdict on Louis's seventh birthday portrait and video and offered insights into what they may reveal about the youngster's future.
"Up to now, we've known Louis as a cheeky chappie - the baby of the family, always pulling faces and being told off by his elder siblings, particularly [his] sister Charlotte.
© Getty Images"But you can see that he is confident and outgoing and full of life. He looks as though he’s inherited the best traits of his grandfather Michael Middleton and his great-grandfather the late Duke of Edinburgh."
Looking ahead to the future, Phil said that a career in the armed forces might be on the cards for Louis. "I can see him going into the armed forces when he is older and loving every minute of it," he argued.
© ShutterstockBirthday milestone
The young royal celebrated his seventh birthday on 23 April. In honour of the special occasion, the palace released a charming portrait that showed a gap-toothed Louis sitting on a log in the spring sunshine, in addition to a playful video showing Louis energetically jumping off logs in a beautiful bluebell wood near the family's Norfolk home.
© Getty ImagesIn a break from tradition, the portrait was taken by photographer, Josh Shinner, as opposed to the Princess of Wales, who started taking the first official portraits of her children back in 2015.
It's not the first time the Princess has broken this family tradition - in 2023 she enlisted photographer Millie Pilkington to capture Prince George's tenth birthday portrait.
© Getty ImagesJust hours after Louis's portrait was released, Kensington Palace shared a joyful video clip highlighting the youngster's playful personality. The Palace said the video, set to music and filmed in the style of an archive home movie, was shot by its in-house social media team.
In the footage, Louis beamed from ear to ear before later running up to the camera lens for a playful close-up. Elsewhere, he was shown saying: "I can jump down from here," as he pointed off-camera.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageFor the wholesome moment, Louis looked smartly dressed in a checked shirt, a khaki jumper and a pair of blue jeans.
William and Kate's youngest child is fourth in line to the throne and was born on 23 April 2018 at the private Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, weighing 8lb 7oz. He was christened Louis Arthur Charles at 11 weeks old, by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace in front of friends and family.
To read the full report, pick up a copy of this week's HELLO! magazine.
