‘8 is great!: Kate and William offer rare glimpse into family life as they share heartwarming video of Prince Louis playing in the sand and diving into the sea during Cornish holiday to celebrate his birthday

The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a rare glimpse into their family life with a heartwarming video to thank supporters for sending ‘birthday wishes’ for Prince Louis, who has turned eight today.

Prince William and Kate’s youngest son was filmed playing in the sand, enjoying a game of cricket and running along the beach during a fun-filled holiday to Cornwall during his Easter break earlier this month.

Proving he’s just as adventurous as he is cheeky, the fearless young royal was also captured eagerly diving into the sea from a height.

The sweet clip was posted on Kensington Palace’s social media accounts with the message: ‘Thank you for all the birthday wishes for Prince Louis. 8 is great!’

Photographer Matt Porteous, to whom the Waleses often turn to mark family occasions, captured the footage.

A love of the water runs in the family. William used to surf while studying in St Andrews, while Kate is a fan of cold water swimming.

It is not known which beach the royals visited, but the Prince of Wales inherited the vast Duchy of Cornwall landed estate and the title the Duke of Cornwall when he became heir to the throne in 2022.

Earlier today, Kate and William celebrated their son’s birthday with a new portrait of the young royal onboard a boat during their holiday

The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a rare glimpse into their family life with a heartwarming video to thank supporters for sending ‘birthday wishes’ for Prince Louis

Taken earlier this month during the family’s Easter break, the sweet clip was posted on Kensington Palace’s social media accounts with the message: ‘Thank you for all the birthday wishes for Prince Louis. 8 is great!’

The Prince and Princess of Wales have marked their son Prince Louis’s eighth birthday with a new photograph of the young royal this morning

A grinning Louis is shown with his arms folded, leaning back against the vessel’s metal barrier with the sea as the backdrop in the adorable picture.

He sported a £42 blue, textured, quarter zip-style jumper from Boden for the portrait, which was captioned: ‘Happy birthday, Louis! Eight today!’ followed by a red balloon emoji.

Seafaring runs in the family. Louis’s great-grandfather, Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, was known for his Naval service, and became Admiral of the Fleet.

Louis’s grandfather, King Charles, also served in the Navy as the Prince of Wales, commanding HMS Bronington, and Louis’s namesake – Earl Mountbatten – became the First Sea Lord.

The picture of the young royal onboard a boat was taken during the same family holiday as the film, and again captured by photographer Matt Porteous.

William, Kate and their children spent the spring holiday together, and Louis was last seen at church with the rest of the Royal Family on Easter Sunday.

The Prince is expected to spend today with his friends at Lambrook School in Berkshire, where he is currently studying alongside siblings, Prince George, 12, and Princess Charlotte, ten.

As soon as the image was posted, hundreds of well-wishers left heartfelt messages for the royal. ‘He looks so mature,’ one fan commented, while another said Louis was his mother Kate’s ‘mini me’ in the ‘lovely’ photo.

Proving he’s just as adventurous as he is cheeky, the young royal was also captured eagerly diving into the sea

Prince William and Kate’s youngest son was filmed playing in the sand, enjoying a game of cricket and running along the beach

Prince Louis was filmed enjoying a game of cricket during his holiday to Cornwall

Supporters were struck by how ‘grown up’ Louis looked, after the playful Prince joined his family for the Easter Service at St George’s Chapel earlier this month.

Like his father and brother, Louis wore a dark blue suit to the traditional service. He and George had matching ties on with their double- and single-breasted jackets respectively.

While the youngest Wales child has won over royal fans with his cheeky antics during official engagements, Louis was on his best behaviour as he walked alongside his parents and waved bashfully at fans gathered outside the church in Windsor.

‘Young HRH Prince Louis is learning very well,’ one person praised his behaviour on X at the time.

Prince Louis Arthur Charles was born at 11.01am on April 23, 2018, at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, and was first photographed with William, now 43, and Kate, now 44, outside the Lindo Wing.

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.’

Since then, he’s become known for his flair in front of the camera and has previously delighted royal fans with his expressive performances at events.

Prince Louis was last seen in public when he joined Prince William (far right), siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte (far left) and mother Kate for the Easter Sunday service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor

On the occasion of his first birthday, Kensington Palace released three images of the rosy-cheeked toddler gleefully exploring the great outdoors

Kate, an avid photographer, turned her lens on her youngest as she snapped Louis playing in their garden at home in Norfolk, as fans remarked he was beginning to look a lot like his older brother, Prince George

He even had an outfit change for the photoshoot as Louis was pictured wearing a red jumper over one of George’s Peter Pan-collared romper suits, as well as a blue, puppy print cashmere jumper from Trotters

The following year, the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released a new set of pictures of Louis, also taken by Kate at Anmer Hall, as he tried his hand at painting

At Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, Louis, then four, 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.

The new photo by Mr Porteous is a delightful addition to the collection of Prince Louis’s official portraits released over the years.

On the occasion of his first birthday, Kensington Palace released three images of the rosy-cheeked toddler gleefully exploring the great outdoors.

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Kate, an avid photographer, turned her lens on her youngest as she snapped Louis playing in their garden at home in Norfolk, as fans remarked he was beginning to look a lot like his older brother, Prince George.

He even had an outfit change for the photoshoot; Louis was pictured in a red jumper over one of George’s Peter Pan-collared romper suits, as well as a blue, puppy print cashmere sweater from Trotters.

At the time, the future Queen described Louis as an active child who enjoys ‘bombing around’ on his baby walker.

‘He just wants to pull himself up all the time. He’s got these little walkers and is bombing around on them’, she said.

The following year, the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released a new set of pictures of Louis, also taken by Kate at Anmer Hall, as he tried his hand at painting.

Dressed in a blue checked shirt, Louis looked positively ecstatic to be creating rainbow-coloured handprints as his parents tried to keep him busy after the world went into lockdown.

By the time he turned three, Louis was big enough to be zipping around on his bicycle as he officially started nursery school.

Proud mother Kate snapped the portrait, which showed Louis flashing his trademark cheeky smile, before he left for his first day at the Willcocks Nursery School.

Beaming at the camera, Louis looked ready for his big day, sporting a smart blue and white striped shirt, navy blue sweater and sky blue shorts.

As she often is, Kate was behind the camera for Louis’s fourth birthday pictures that were taken on the beach in Norfolk during a family outing.

In one photo, Louis can be seen charging towards the camera. Two others showed the Prince, dressed in a star print jumper, blue check shirt and teal shorts, holding a cricket ball.

The fourth and final photo showed Louis giving another gap-toothed grin as he looked up at the sky – the picture of a happy and healthy little boy.

By the time he turned five, fans couldn’t believe how quickly he was growing up after a new portrait showed Kate sweetly pushing him around in a wheelbarrow.

One fan commented: ‘Our baby isn’t a baby anymore! Happy 5th Birthday to our Prince Louis! The best not-so-little boy!’

By the time he turned three, Louis was big enough to be zipping around on his bicycle as he officially started nursery school

In keeping with what was becoming a tradition, Kate was behind the camera for Louis’s fourth birthday pictures that were taken on the beach in Norfolk during a family outing

In one photo, Louis can be seen charging towards the camera

By the time he turned five, fans couldn’t believe how quickly he was growing up after a new portrait showed Kate sweetly pushing him around in a wheelbarrow

Instead of releasing Louis’s birthday portrait in the morning, Kensington Palace held off until the afternoon on April 23, 2024, to share a new photo for his sixth birthday

Louis was the spitting image of his father William in last year’s portrait, which was also accompanied by sweet behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot at Anmer Hall

The charming family moment was captured by Millie Pilkington, who was previously trusted by Kate and William to privately photograph their wedding reception in 2011.

Instead of releasing Louis’s birthday portrait in the morning, Kensington Palace held off until the afternoon on April 23, 2024, to share a new photo for his sixth birthday.

But the happy photo was clearly worth the wait when it was finally posted, as Louis was pictured grinning from ear to ear while posing in the grounds of Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

Royal fans even noted a telling gap in his teeth, revealing a recent visit from the tooth fairy.

Louis was dressed in a smart-casual shirt with blue and brown checkering – sweetly echoing his father, Prince William’s wardrobe.

And Louis was the spitting image of his father William in last year’s portrait, which was also accompanied by sweet behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot at Anmer Hall.

The sweet snap, which was shared on Kate and Prince William’s Kensington Royal social media accounts, was captioned: ‘Wishing Prince Louis a very Happy 7th Birthday!’