Prince William and Kate Middleton may break longstanding tradition for Prince Louis’ birthday celebrations this year - and the reason is completely understandable

Ahead of Prince Louis' sixth birthday in April, an inside source has revealed that his parents Kate Middleton and Prince William are discussing whether or not they want to break from one very sentimental family tradition for the celebrations. 

Children's birthdays are such special occasions when they are young. Grandparents spoil them with gifts and attention, though one set of grandparents is more likely to spoil their grandchildren than the other,  cupboards are stocked up with all the best party food for your kid's birthday, and, most importantly, in kids' eyes at least, the hottest toys of the year are wrapped and ready to be ripped open. 

With Prince Louis' sixth birthday just around the corner, he's likely looking forward to all that and more. But while many parents would currently be planning party games for the days celebrations, Prince William and Kate Middleton have a slightly bigger worry to think about concerning the day. 

That's because, each and every year since her children's births, Kate Middleton has taken their official birthday portraits herself which are then released to the public to mark the special days. It has become an important family tradition for the Waleses but this year it might be in jeopardy due the photo editing scandal Kate currently finds herself in. 

Following the release of Kate's heavily and poorly edited Mother's Day photo, the Palace has been highly criticised and even more conspiracy theories surrounding where Kate is and what she is doing have bloomed in popularity. Subsequently, Kate and William are now reportedly in talks about whether or not she should be the one to snap Louis' birthday image as she always does. But, as a source told The Sunday Times, there is 'no firm decision' yet as to whether or not they'll bring in a professional photographer. 

What is for sure is that we will get a photo of Louis to mark his birthday on 23 April. "They [Kate and William] appreciate the public’s love and affection for their children and know there is a public appetite to see them on their birthdays,” the source said. 

Previous photos of the Wales children, Prince George, 10, Prince Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, have been a source of delight for royal fans and have become a standing highlight of many people's years. Last year, the photo shared to mark Charlotte's eighth birthday sent people into a frenzy as the youngster not only looked incredibly grown up, but also showed a remarkable likeness to her dad, Prince William. 

But while the birthday photo tradition may see a change this year, it isn't the only  Wales family tradition carried out on the children's special days. As The Princess of Wales previously revealed, she stays up late into the night every year on her kids' birthdays so she can pull off an extra special surprise by making them each their own birthday cake. 

"I love making the cake," Kate shared during an appearance on A Berry Royal Christmas with Mary Berry. "It's become a bit of a tradition that I stay up 'til midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing and I make far too much. But I love it."

In other royal news, Prince William has revealed the one habit he wishes both parents and kids would give up for good - but proves it’s easier said than done, Meghan Markle has opened up about the ‘cruel’ and ‘hateful’ online bullying she experienced throughout her pregnancies, and Princess Diana’s brother recently revealed the ‘difficult’ job he undertook for his sister when she became a royal and shared her biggest childhood fear.