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Prince William and Kate release new photos of Prince Louis to celebrate his second birthday

Prince Louis' first official photos
Prince Louis' first official photos revealed 01:04

He may be a member of the British royal family, but Prince Louis is just like other 2-year-olds, new photos of the little prince show. Prince William and wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge have released new photos of their son to celebrate his birthday, and in the series of shots, not one is a stuffy royal portrait.

The couple posted the photos on the Kensington Palace Instagram. "Sharing a sneak peek of Prince Louis' handiwork ahead of his second birthday!" the caption reads.

One of the Instagram posts shows Louis' hands covered in rainbow paint, as well as the handprint artwork he created. In one shot, Louis appears to get dangerously close to touching his face with his paint-covered hands.

In a second post, the couple showed the world there is no stopping a 2-year-old. Louis smeared the rainbow fingerpaint across his cheeks, like most toddlers would. Not only is Louis like most kids in that way, but Kate is like most moms. "Instagram vs Reality," the caption read, a phrase commonly used when parents show their social media followers what's really going on in front of the camera when they try to take nice photos of their kids.

The photos were taken by Louis's mom, the former Kate Middleton, earlier this month, according to the posts. Prince Louis' birthday is April 23. He is fifth in line to the throne, after his grandfather, Prince Charles, his dad, Prince William, and older siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Kate often snaps photos of the family to mark milestones. She even took her family's Christmas photo, which was shared on Instagram. In July, the couple also shared a candid photo Kate took of Prince George to mark his sixth birthday.

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