PRINCE LOUIS

Fourth in line, Louis is the first British Prince to be ranked behind an elder sister

The four-day Platinum Jubilee weekend honoured the Queen’s unprecedented 70 years on the throne, but it was four-year-old Louis Arthur Charles Cambridge who charmingly stole the show with his cheeky antics.

“What a fantastic weekend of celebrations,” his bemused parents tweeted afterwards. “We all had an incredible time, especially Louis…”

Not that the guest of honour minded. The youngest of the Cambridge children seems to have had a special place in the monarch’s heart. On holiday at Balmoral when just a few months old, Prince Louis sat on the Queen’s lap as she and Prince Philip posed, along with seven of their greatgrandchildren, for his first official portrait.

As a baby, Louis showed little sign of his later cheekiness – he was described as “very relaxed and peaceful” by his mother, who added: “I hope he stays like this.”

Now fourth in line to the throne, Louis – whose name is a touching tribute to both his father William and grandfather the Prince of Wales, who both have Louis as a middle name – is the first British Prince to rank below an elder sister, following the 2011 Perth Agreement, which ruled to end historic discrimination against women.

Born on 23 April 2018, Louis spent his first months between Kensington Palace and Anmer Hall in Norfolk as his parents increased their public duties in support of the Queen, following the Duke of Edinburgh’s retirement.

That Christmas, the Queen spoke of her growing role as a grandmother as she delivered her speech to the nation. “It’s been a busy year for my family, with two weddings and two babies, and another child expected soon,” she said. “It helps to keep a grandmother well occupied.”

Seven-month-old Louis is embraced by his beaming grandfather the Prince of Wales (above) during a photoshoot to mark Charles’s 70th birthday at Clarence House; and (right) the four-year-old royal has blossomed into a cheeky and confident youngster