Prince Louis’ fifth birthday portrait shows Kate Middleton ‘might be reluctant’ to see him grow up

Prince Louis' fifth birthday might have been a bittersweet day for Kate Middleton according to a body language expert who says the Princess' body language suggests she appeared 'reluctant to see her third and possibly last child grow up.'

• Kate Middleton appears to be 'quietly reluctant to see' Prince Louis growing up according to a body language expert who has analysed the photos released for the young Prince's fifth birthday.
• The expert claims that while the photos are 'a sweetly telling shot' into their private life, there are 'underlying hints of poignancy' showing Kate's fear of Louis 'increasing independence."
• In other royal news, Kate Middleton and Prince William’s ‘extremely rare public display of affection’ revealed by body language expert.

Prince Louis has been stealing the royal spotlight with his recent appearances alongside his family. The young prince, who sits fourth in the royal line of succession behind his two older siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte, has finally reached the age where his attendance at certain engagements is expected. From making his Easter Sunday service debut wearing a tie for the first time earlier this year, to his upcoming appearance at King Charles III's coronation, which will feature at least one loud tradition he likely will not enjoy, it's clear that Prince Louis is growing up.

Royal fans were quick to point out just how fast the time has flown when Prince William and Kate Middleton shared new pictures of Louis to social media to celebrate his fifth birthday. While many pointed out how much Louis looked like his mum, a fact Kate has revealed she agrees with, one eagle-eyed body language expert noticed something many others missed. 

The photo set, captioned "Someone’s turning 5 tomorrow. A very happy birthday to Prince Louis,” featured one 'telling' image which featured Louis sitting in a wheelbarrow as Kate pushed him along. It seemed innocent enough but after analysing the snaps, body language expert Judi James told Express.co.uk of a hidden meaning behind new photos.

James said, "This looks like such a sweetly telling shot with some underlying hints of poignancy as Kate watches her youngest child begin to grow up and become increasingly independent."

James explained, "One striking body language point is that Kate is in the birthday pose with her adored son Louis, when she has previously tended to be behind the camera in her children’s celebratory snaps, meaning George, Charlotte and Louis have always been reacting directly to her rather than any external prompting."

The analysis comes just days after Kate appeared to rule out the possibility of baby number four while visiting The Baby Bank in Windsor. 

Speaking about Louis' fun-loving nature that seeped through the photographs, she said, "Louis, though, is looking away and smiling rather than at the camera, which is in keeping with his signature levels of social confidence and playfulness."

But Kate's body language showed a subtle, seemingly bittersweet stance over the celebratory portraits. James revealed, "Kate has chosen to lean into shot, pushing Louis in a wheelbarrow and although this is clearly part of a game they are both enjoying there are enough poignant echoes of the days when she was pushing him in a pram to suggest she might be quietly reluctant to see her third and possibly last child grow up too soon."