As Prince Louis celebrates his fifth birthday, could Kate Middleton become a mum for a fourth time?

Since he was born in the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital on 23 April 2018, Prince Louis has continued to steal the show from waving on Buckingham Palace’s balcony in 2019, speaking for the first time in public with David Attenborough to his Christmas Day debut last year where he chased his older sister Princess Charlotte with a bunch of flowers.

Most notably Prince William and Kate Middleton’s youngest son warmed the world through his reactions to Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations when he covered his ears during the Trooping of the Colour Parade and stuck out his tongue at his mother mid-pageant in 2022.

While the family will be celebrating his fifth birthday today, suspicions have been raised as to whether he could become an older brother in the not too distant future as reports suggest Kate and William are keen to welcome a fourth child in 2023.

It comes after the Prince and Princess of Wales have allegedly been going back and forth about whether they would want to become a family of six after Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, with Kate once jokingly saying Prince William would ‘kill her’ if she wanted another baby.

Although some may suggest it has been too long for the couple to think about baby number four after waiting two years and three years respectively between their three children (born in 2013, 2015 and 2018), other royal fans would defend the age gap referencing King Charles’ age difference to his siblings.

The late Queen Elizabeth first welcomed the new monarch in 1948 with Prince Philip and their only daughter Princess Anne just two years later; however, a decade then passed before the longest reigning monarch in British history gave birth to Prince Andrew with Prince Edward arriving another four years later in 1964.

Therefore if critics are doubtful that Prince William and Kate Middleton will announce their fourth child, one would just need to look at the royal history books to see that Kate could potentially be following in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth, not only with having four children but matching the similar age gaps.

If this is the case, the Princess of Wales will also have to brush up on her own pregnancy history as she reportedly suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum which causes severe nausea throughout the nine months.

Kate was in hospital for three days during her pregnancy with Prince George and suffered another severe bout with Prince Louis, therefore the royal couple may be mindful of this if baby number four is announced.

While the pregnancy news is up in the air, Kate and William’s attention will remain closer to home as their youngest son turns five.