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Prince Charles's loving bond with Prince Louis clear in beautiful birthday photo

Charles is a doting grandfather

prince louis and charles hugging
Gemma Strong
Online Digital News Director
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Prince Charles has shared a beautiful photograph to celebrate his grandson Prince Louis's second birthday. The black and white snapshot, which appeared on the official Clarence House Instagram page, shows Charles smiling as he hugs little Louis, who has his arms wrapped tightly around his grandfather's neck. The loving bond between the pair is crystal clear, and delighted fans took to the comments section to applaud the sweet photograph. The caption for the image read: "A very Happy Birthday to Prince Louis, who turns two today. The young Prince enjoys a hug from his Grandfather, The Prince of Wales.”

prince louis and charles hugging© Photo: Twitter

Prince Charles shared a heartwarming photograph in celebration of Prince Louis's birthday

It's not the first time fans have seen the photo. They caught a very brief glimpse of the gorgeous image during a live video link as Charles opened the Nightingale Hospital last week. At the time, however, many assumed the child in the picture was Louis's big brother, Prince George. The image was captured by Duchess Kate before the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

MORE: Prince Louis: the surprising detail you missed about his birthday photos

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Charles’s touching birthday tribute comes after Louis's proud parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, released a series of images showing their son making a rainbow handprint picture to put in the windows of Anmer Hall in a tribute to NHS workers. The birthday boy was photographed in the garden of the family's Norfolk home by his mother, smiling for the camera in a smart blue checked shirt with coloured paint on his hands. And there was more to come! Kate later released a further two images of her son, in celebration of his special day, including one showing Louis with paint all over his face. She joked in the caption: "Instagram vs reality! Thank you for your lovely messages on Prince Louis's second birthday. We are very pleased to share today, on Prince Louis's second birthday, new photographs taken by The Duchess this April."

MORE: Prince Charles and Camilla reveal fun way they've been passing the time in isolation

prince louis face paint© Photo: Twitter

"Instagram vs reality"

William and Kate said they were "very pleased to share" the series of photographs to celebrate Louis's milestone, which has become a tradition for each of their children's birthdays. It marks the 12th official photos or appearances by Prince Louis; interestingly all the birthday photos of Princess Charlotte and her little brother have been taken by Kate, while Prince George's birthday pictures have all be taken by a professional photographer, bar one.

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