Kensington Palace releases new photos to celebrate Prince Louis as he turns two

Prince Louis of Cambridge is celebrating his second birthday on Thursday and the toddler has grown up to become an impressive artist. Prince William and Kate Middleton shared several solo pictures of their youngest child in a rare post, ahead of his birthday.

On Wednesday, Cambridge family's official Instagram account Kensington Palace released three new portraits of the little prince with his hands covered in paints and adorably smiling at the camera. The pictures give the royal fans a glimpse at how much the baby has grown and his artwork.

According to Vogue, the photographs were recently captured presumably at their Norfolk estate, Anmer Hall, where the family is currently self-isolating due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"Sharing a sneak peek of Prince Louis's handiwork ahead of his second birthday!" Kensington Palace wrote on its social media account, sharing three portraits wherein the prince is dressed semi-formally in a blue and white chequered shirt.

Once again, the photographer to be credited for these delightful pictures is the prince's mother Kate Middleton.

"We are pleased to share images ahead of Prince Louis's second birthday tomorrow, taken by The Duchess this April," the caption reads.

The post is deemed a rare glimpse for the public as the prince has not been photographed since the holidays. The last time we got a glimpse of the royal children was three weeks ago when the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge posted a video of them clapping in support of #Clapforourcarers campaign.

Following Queen Elizabeth II's birthday on Tuesday, Louis's birthday is a second occasion to celebrate and reconnect for the royal family. However, the celebrations must be dimmed down due to coronavirus outbreak across the globe.

Speaking with the Us Weekly, a source revealed how the family-of-five plan to celebrate the younger royal's birthday amid the lockdown. As per the source, the royal mother had thought of a big birthday bash for Louis, however, she had to cancel it for something small, involving only the immediate family.

"If the weather is nice, William's planning to cook some chicken and burgers on BBQ and play outdoor sports and games as a family – football, chase and hide and seek," the insider told the abovementioned publication. "And obviously Louis will have a cake, too! He's so excited about his big day and is already singing happy birthday to himself," the source added.

Louis isn't the only royal celebrating his birthday in the lockdown. If things do not change sooner with coronavirus pandemic, his elder sister Princess Charlotte and his cousin Archie will have to celebrate their birthdays indoor on Saturday, May 2, and Wednesday, May 6, respectively.