Prince Louis turns six today, and while he will mark his big day away from the limelight his mother Kate previously gave an insight into a sweet royal birthday tradition. 

Kate, 42, revealed that she's known for staying up late the night before her children's birthdays to whip up a homemade cake for their special day. 

Back in 2019 on the one-off special A Berry Royal Christmas, she told Mary Berry: 'I love making the cake.

'It's become a bit of a tradition that I stay up until midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing and I make far too much but I love it'.

Pictured above: Prince Louis of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales watch an RAF flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour on June 17, 2023

Pictured above: Prince Louis attends the Christmas Day service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2022 in Sandringham, Norfolk

This comes after royal fans eager to mark Prince Louis' sixth year of life with a celebratory photo were left disappointed when the Prince and Princess of Wales' social media accounts stayed silent in the early hours of his birthday.

Royal fans had been hoping the couple would keep up their tradition of releasing new photographs to celebrate his birth.

The Waleses were intending to release a photograph for Louis' birthday despite the frenzy over the manipulated family picture issued by Kensington Palace on Mother's Day, sources close to the family said last month.

However, the snap of the beaming young prince has finally been released, with the account wishing him a very happy birthday.

The photo was taken by his mother, the Princess of Wales, who often photographs her children's birthday portraits. 

The caption reads: 'Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! Thank you for all the kind wishes today.'

As the beaming prince looks into the camera, he is lying on his front and looks all grown up with his brunette hair swept to the side, and a smart checked shirt.

He appears to be wearing dark trousers and is lying on a fleeced blanket.

The Princess of Wales took Prince Louis's birthday snap to mark her youngest child turning six today 

The Waleses have released a new photo of Louis each year to mark his birthday.

Last year, they shared an adorable photo of Kate pushing him around in a wheelbarrow in Windsor to mark his turning five.

For his previous birthdays the couple shared pictures of Louis that Kate, a self-described amateur photographer, took herself.

The photo marking his fourth year of life was taken at a beach in Norfolk and the image shared on his third birthday showcased the young royal riding his bike at Kensington Palace, shortly before he left for his first day of nursery at the Willcocks Nursery School.

For his first and second birthdays, the couple released photos that were taken at their home.