Royal fans draw comparisons to Prince Louis, 4, as Kate Middleton shares new baby picture

The Princess of Wales has shared a sweet baby photo of herself with her father as she launched her campaign to highlight the ‘early years’ of childhood.

A young and cheerful Kate appears with her father Michael Middleton in a never-before-seen photograph taken by her mother Carole.

In the image, Kate, now 41, reaches for her father’s face, and royal fans are already drawing comparisons to the royal’s youngest son, four-year-old Louis.

It comes as the mother-of-three kicked off her new ‘Shaping Us’ initiative on Monday with a glitzy reception at BAFTA in London.

The campaign hopes to “raise awareness of the transformative impact we can have when we build a supportive and nurturing world around children and those who care for them” in their early years.

Sharing the new photograph on social media, Kate said that “faces are a baby’s best toy.”

She added: ‘This weekend, we’d love for all of you to spend time with your friends, families, colleagues and communities talking about your early childhood and how it has shaped your lives.

“I hope you’ll also consider joining me in sharing a photo of yourselves before your fifth birthday to help with those conversations and share some smiles and memories too.”

Royal fans were quick to point out the similarities between a young Kate and her four-year-old son, Prince Louis.

One said: ‘At first glance I thought it was a picture of Louis!’

Another added: “How much did Louis look like his mom at the same age?”

A third commented: ‘Wow, that photo is of Louis through and through!’

The Princess of Wales has launched her new initiative, described as her ‘life’s work’, to highlight the crucial ‘early years’ of childhood. She will receive an ambitious ad campaign in cinemas and on billboards across the country.

tuesday kate She appeared in a promotional video that was shared on her social media pages, wearing a sleek green blazer with a black scoop-neck blouse underneath.

She said: ‘Our early childhood, the time from pregnancy to five, fundamentally shapes the rest of our lives.

“But as a society we currently focus much more of our time and energy on the afterlife.”

Kate explained that she is now launching the Shaping Us campaign, adding: ‘To raise awareness of the impact a life change can have, when we build a supportive and nurturing world around children and those who care for them.

“By focusing our collective time, energy and resources on these more preventative years, we can make a big difference in the physical and mental health and happiness of generations to come.”

The campaign, which was formally launched on Tuesday, is a long-term project for the princess, beginning with a child’s development and the importance of the formative years.

‘You will further explore the importance of a child’s social and emotional world’ and the meaning of relationships, environment and experiences.

The multimedia campaign is part of a major push by the Royal Trust Center for Early Childhood, set up by the Princess in June 2021, to raise awareness of how our early years shape our lives.

It is scheduled to run for at least five years, and a Kensington Palace spokesperson has described it as the princess’s “lifetime work”.

The princess spoke passionately about the campaign in an open letter published in the Mail on Sunday last weekend, outlining his plan for ‘Shaping Us’.

Reports produced by the Early Childhood Center have revealed that the first five years shape future well-being more than any other stage of development, with our brains growing faster now than at any other time.

He also hopes to ‘break the cycle’ for parents who experienced a difficult childhood.

Palace attendants say the idea for the project began even before Kate became a mother.