Prince Louis’ New Birthday Photo Shows Just How Grown Up He Is

The youngest child of Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrates his third birthday Friday.

On the eve of his big day, Kensington Palace released a photo of Louis taken by the Duchess of Cambridge at the palace on Wednesday.

The picture shows the little royal perched on a red bike, dressed in his school uniform right before his first day at Willcocks Nursery School in London. He’s sporting a big grin and wearing a backpack, along with a pair of navy and lime green velcro sneakers.

The pictures released last year for Louis’ second birthday were a sweet bright spot during the early stages of the pandemic.

Those photos, which were also taken by Kate at the Cambridges’ Anmer Hall estate, showed the little prince playing with some rainbow paint.

Louis’ siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, are 7 and 5, respectively.

Louis shares his birthday week with his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, who celebrated her birthday without her husband for the first time in decades. Prince Philip, whom she was married to for over 70 years, died earlier this month.