The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have shared the "reality" of Prince Louis' birthday photoshoot.

Prince Louis (c) Kensington Royal

Prince Louis (c) Kensington Royal

On Wednesday (22.04.20) the couple issued a series of photographs taken by Duchess Catherine of her youngest son with rainbow-coloured hands to mark his second birthday on Thursday (23.04.20) and now they've shared further funny images of the tot, featuring the paint smeared on his face, to thank well-wishers for their messages.

One picture featured Louis' paint-covered hands, while the second showed where he'd clutched his cheeks, chin and neck.

The new social media post was captioned: "Instagram Vs Reality

"Thank you for your lovely messages on Prince Louis's second birthday [rainbow emoji] (sic)"

The original set of photos showed Louis dressed in a gingham shirt having fun while creating a colourful piece of art.

The post was captioned: "Sharing a sneak peek of Prince Louis's handiwork ahead of his second birthday!

"We are pleased to share images ahead of Prince Louis's second birthday tomorrow, taken by The Duchess this April."

In the pictures, Louis seemed very pleased with both his rainbow-coloured hands and the large handprint poster he'd produced.

The artwork is topical because rainbows have become a symbol of hope and appreciation for key workers amid the coronavirus pandemic, with many children displaying their pictures in the windows of their homes.

Meanwhile, Louis' mother, Catherine, recently spoke about how much she enjoys doing arts and crafts with the tot and his siblings, Prince George, six, and Princess Charlotte, four.

She said: "Those moments that you spend with people that are around you. I remember that from my own childhood. I had an amazing Granny who devoted a lot of time to us, playing with us, doing arts and crafts and going to the greenhouse to do gardening, and cooking with us, and I try and incorporate a lot of the experiences that she gave us at the time into the experiences that I give my children now."