'THERE'S A SECRET MESSAGE HERE - A HEARTWARMING TRIBUTE TO THE QUEEN'

BEAUTIFUL IMAGES RELEASED TO MARK PRINCE LOUIS' FOURTH BIRTHDAY HOLD A PARTICULAR SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE ROYAL FAMILY, SAYS FORMER ROYAL BUTLER GRANT HARROLD

- RHIANNA BENSON

BIRTHDAY BOY

Prince Louis - the youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - celebrated with family on Saturday as he marked his fourth birthday.

With family visits, a homemade cake and a party with friends all likely, his mother Kate also captured the special day with a charming series of portraits, showing the youngster on a family trip to the seaside. The precious snaps are believed to have been taken on Holkham Beach in Norfolk earlier this month. They not only show how fast the young prince is growing up, but they're also undeniably reminiscent of footage captured many years earlier, of the Queen's own children Prince Charles and Princess Anne - soaking up the sun along what is thought to be the same stretch of the Norfolk coast during the late 1950s.

The duke and duchess also created a moving film in the area to mark their 10th wedding anniversary - so it is clearly a spot that holds many happy memories for the royals.