Prince Louis is the spitting image of his father Prince William as he beams in 6th birthday portrait wearing smart check shirt

Prince Louis looked every inch the smart young royal in his birthday portrait with Kate choosing a smart casual outfit for her son - sweetly echoing his dad Prince William's wardrobe. 

The image was shared by the Prince and Princess of Wales on social media on April 23 - and their youngest child looked as sweet as ever.

The photograph, taken by Kate, showed the young royal in high spirits as he lay on a picnic blanket while smiling towards the camera.

Louis donned an off-white shirt with blue and brown checkering paired with what appears to be denim jeans.

It's a sense of style often emulated by William, 42, who regularly opts for smart casual attire.

Prince Louis emulated his father's style in his birthday portrait shared to mark his sixth birthday today

William has sported a checkered shirt on many occasions, including during a visit to Sydney Zoo back in 2014.  

It also echoes the style Kate's chosen for Louis' older brother, Prince George.

In his tenth birthday portrait, the oldest child of William and Kate donned a similar blue checkered shirt paired with biscuit-coloured chinos.

Typically, Kensington Palace will release portraits of the Wales children early in the morning to mark their birthdays, however fans were left disappointed this morning when the social media accounts for Kate and William did not feature any photos of the cheeky six-year-old. 

However, the snap of the beaming young prince has now been released, with the account wishing him a very happy birthday.

The photo was taken by his mother, the Princess of Wales, who often photographs her children's birthday portraits. It suggests that, as she recovers from chemotherapy, she may be getting back behind the camera.

The caption reads: 'Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! Thank you for all the kind wishes today.'

Prince Louis has appeared to take fashion inspiration from his father, Prince William, who has been spotted donning similar styles (seen in Sydney, 2014)

Louis choice of smart casual attire also mirrored the style of his older brother, Prince George (seen in 2023)

The snap was posted on the Prince and Princess of Wales's social media accounts thanking royal fans for all the kind wishes they had sent to the young prince 

As he flashes his biggest smile, the young prince also appears to have lost a couple of his baby teeth.

Prince Louis was born on April 23, 2018 in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, like his older silings Charlotte and George.

A statement from Kensington Palace at the time read: 'Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 1101hrs.

'The baby weighs 8lbs 7oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.'

As he flashes his biggest smile, the young prince also appears to have lost a couple of his baby teeth since his last official appearance on Christmas Day 2023.

Prince Louis was born on April 23, 2018 in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, like his older silings Charlotte and George. 

A statement from Kensington Palace at the time read: 'Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 1101hrs. 

'The baby weighs 8lbs 7oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.' 

The Princess of Wales announced in an emotive video message last month that she is undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy

Louis's sixth birthday comes as the Wales family takes time away from the spotlight while the Princess, 42, recovers from abdominal surgery and subsequent cancer treatment.

Mother-of-three Kate revealed in March that she was undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy for a type of cancer that remains undisclosed.

In a heartbreaking video the Princess of Wales detailed how the cancerous cells were discovered, while she was undergoing surgery for a different condition in January.

She explained that she had not spoken out about it earlier because she wanted to have time to 'explain everything' to George, Charlotte and Louis and assure them 'I'm going to be ok'.

At Trooping the Colour last year, Louis got into the spirit of the Red Arrows as he appeared to impersonate a pilot

As Louis travelled in a carriage with his siblings at Trooping the Colour, Princess Charlotte, eight and Prince George, 10, he looked put off by an unpleasant smell in Horse Guards Parade

Kensington Palace released snaps of Prince Louis playing on the beach in Norfolk to mark his fourth birthday

This was also the reason the William was forced to pull out of a memorial service for his late godfather, King Constantine of Greece, as it is understood that this was when the family first found out about Kate's condition.

In her emotive statement, Kate said: 'The surgery was successful, however, tests after the operation found that cancer had been present.

'As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.'

The last time royal fans were given a glimpse of Prince Louis, he appeared alongside his mother and his siblings in a Mother's Day photo which was later withdrawn by picture agencies around the world

The last time royal fans were given a glimpse of Prince Louis, the young prince appeared with his siblings, Prince George, 10, and Princess Charlotte, eight, as they smiled alongside their mother Kate on Mother's Day.

The snap released by Kensington Palace, generated controversy when picture agencies around the world issued 'kill notices', over concerns it had been 'manipulated'.

Both the agencies and eagle-eyed internet sleuths noticed several inconsistencies in the photo, including in the alignment of Princess Charlotte's skirt, her hair, and the zip on Kate's khaki jacket. 

Following the social media storm, the Princess of Wales was forced to issue a statement admitting she had 'edited' the image - which had initially been hoped would quell wild conspiracy theories that had circulated about her health.

Prince Louis sweetly held hands with his second cousin Mia Tindall as he joined the rest of the royal family at Sandringham on Christmas Day

Louis held hands with his cousin, who has two younger siblings herself, as they walked into the church service

In a post on Instagram and X/Twitter, the Princess said: 'Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. 

'I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.'

Prince Louis is known for his flair in front of the camera and has previously delighted royal fans with his expressive performances at royal events.

At Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the young royal, then four-years-old, took centre stage as the royal family appeared on the balcony.

Alarmed by the noise caused by the Red Arrows circling overhead, he covered his ears and winced.

Similarly, the youngster charmed audiences around the world with his antics at the concert held in honour of his 'Gan Gan' and her 70-year reign.

Prince Louis delighted fans with his expressive antics during the various Platinum Jubilee celebrations 

The most stylish royal! Prince Louis, then four, left royal fans in stitches as he danced to the music at the concert 

The young prince's cheeky antics went viral as royal fans were left in hysterics at his funny behaviour

During the concert, Louis was seen larking about as he played with his mother and sat on his grandfather King Charles's lap. 

Last year at Trooping the Colour, he once again stole the show with his funny antics, and delighted fans once again on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as he got into the spirit of the Red Arrows and pretended to be a pilot. 

He also made viewers chuckle as he arrived in a carriage with his siblings at Horse Guards Parade - and seemed put off by an unpleasant smell.

The prince scrunched up his face and held his nose as the carriage moved along, while his older siblings seemed unfazed by the smell. 

As Kensington Palace celebrated Louis's fifth birthday last year, Kate and William released a snap showing their youngest son's playful side and his strong bond with his mother, as the Princess of Wales was seen pushing him in a wheelbarrow while he gleefully beamed. 

The previous year, another photo of the Prince, taken by Kate, was shared by Kensington Palace which showed him playing on the beach in Norfolk.'

During Louis's last public appearance on Christmas Day 2023 at Sandringham, he put on another heart-warming display as he held hands with his second cousin, Mia Tindall, on the way to St Mary Magdalene Church.

Mia, nine, is the eldest daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall, and has two younger siblings herself, Lena and Lucas.

Christmas 2023 was Louis's second time joining his family for the annual trip to St Mary Magdalene Church as he is now deemed old enoug