When his parents left the hospital after his birth on April 23, plenty of professional photographers were looking at young Prince Louis through their lenses. In the brief few moments when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge introduced the world to their youngest child, photographers captured his likeness from every angle possible. Now, we’re seeing a much more intimate side of Britain’s newest royal, through photographs taken by his mother, the former Kate Middleton.


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On Saturday, Kensington Palace released the two new candid shots of Prince Louis. One is a solo portrait taken when he was just three days old. In the other he is getting a sweet kiss from his sister, Princess Charlotte, who turned three on May 2, the day the photo was taken.

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The photograph of the siblings is very reminiscent of pictures released about a month after Princess Charlotte’s birth, in which Prince George—Will and Kate’s eldest—was holding his new little sister.

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In fact, the pose isn’t the only similarity between the siblings’ baby pictures. Some keen royal watchers have pointed out that the ruffled collar and white sweater Prince Louis is wearing in the photo in his solo portrait appears to be identical to the one Princess Charlotte wore when she was his age, and Princess Charlotte’s blue sweater looks like one once worn by her older brother.

If the sweaters truly are hand-me-downs, we’re here for it. Such beautiful and gender neutral pieces are definitely deserving of passing down. When beautiful baby clothes make history, it’d be silly not to make them a family heirloom.

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