The 2-year-old son of Prince William and Kate Middleton is currently separated from his grandfather while quarantining.
Sweet grandfather hugs! Thursday marks Prince Louis' second birthday, and the son of Prince William and Kate Middleton is spending the special day with his immediate family at Anmer Hall in Norfolk, England.
William and Kate are currently quarantined at their Norfolk residence with their three children, including Louis, and his older siblings, Prince George, 6, and Princess Charlotte, 4. Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the family remains removed from their extended relatives, including Louis' grandfather, Prince Charles.
Charles' Clarence House Instagram account posted a very touching black-and-white photo of the proud grandfather and little Louis sharing a sweet hug before the quarantine began.
"A very Happy Birthday to Prince Louis, who turns two today," the account captioned the image. "The young Prince enjoys a hug from his Grandfather, The Prince of Wales."
Last year, the family got together for a sweet portrait session, which included Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Charles shared another sweet image for Louis' first birthday from the shoot as he poked him in the eye.
Prior to Louis' second birthday, Charles was diagnosed with COVID-19, though he only experienced "mild symptoms" and has since left isolation.
In a recent BBC interview, William opened up about his father's diagnosis, saying, "I have to admit, at first I was quite concerned."
Luckily, Charles pulled through and now the family does video chats to keep in touch.
"I think your father and my parents have really loved keeping in touch with the children because it is really hard," Kate said of Charles and her family during the BBC interview. "It gets a bit hectic, I'm not going to lie, with a 2-year-old [son]."
"For some reason, he sees the red button and always wants to press the red button," William quipped of his youngest child.
In honor of Louis' second birthday, Kate and William released a series of stunning new portraits taken by the duchess, featuring their toddler with rainbow-colored paint all over his hands. The couple even shared funny "Instagram vs. reality" shots, which featured the little cutie wiping the paint all over his face.
Buckingham Palace's official Twitter account, @RoyalFamily, shared these images, adding, "Happy Birthday to Prince Louis. HRH is The Queen’s seventh great grandchild. Today he turns two!"
Louis' birthday is very close to that of his great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who turned 94 earlier this week with neither pomp nor circumstance. For the first time in her 68-year reign, there was no gun salute to mark the special occasion and her annual June Trooping the Colour birthday parade has been postponed indefinitely amid the ongoing crisis.
For more from the royals, watch the clip below:
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