‘Trickster’ Prince Louis has royal fans in stitches with his crossed fingers – as he poses for first photograph of Kate Middleton and the children since her surgery

Prince Louis has once again delighted royal fans on X, formerly Twitter, with his playful behaviour.

The young prince was photographed with his mother, Kate Middleton, 42, and his siblings, Prince George, 10, and Princess Charlotte, eight, to mark Mother’s Day.

And social media followers couldn’t resist being enthralled by Louis, cheekily crossing their fingers at the family snap, taken by his father Prince William.

One user referred to the five-year-old as a “cheater”, writing: “Not even Louis crossing his fingers that he looks like AI!”

It’s the first family photo since the Prince and Princess of Wales posted a Christmas portrait with their three children, which appeared to have suffered a Photoshop glitch.

Meanwhile, another fan wrote: ‘Prince Louis cheeky as always his little fingers.’

Someone else said: ‘It’s a beautiful image. But Prince Louis has to stop trolling us with strange finger positions.”

“How does Prince Louis do that with his fingers?” one person asked.

It’s the first family photo since the Prince and Princess of Wales posted a Christmas portrait with their three children, which appeared to have suffered a Photoshop glitch.

In the monochrome image, the royal couple smiled alongside their sons George and Louis, with Charlotte sitting in a chair at the front of the group and Louis’ hand resting on her arm.

But in an apparent editing error, Louis appeared to be missing the middle finger on his left hand.

Social media users immediately spotted the error and some even found more inconsistencies.

Taken by Josh Shinner, the image showed the family in matching white shirts (George was wearing a Ralph Lauren Polo number) with William and the boys in dark pants. Kate and Charlotte opted for denim jeans.

The young royal is known for his mischievous behavior and stealing the show at events.

He once blew out Princess Charlotte’s candle during her mother’s annual carol concert at Westminster Abbey, leaving her sister in stitches.

The new family portrait is Kate’s first published since her surgery and the Princess of Wales thanked the public for their support as she continues to recover.

Sharing a post on Instagram, Kate wrote: ‘Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the past two months.

‘Wishing you all a Happy Mother’s Day.’

The mother-of-three has been away from her royal duties since she was admitted to the London Clinic for “planned abdominal surgery” on January 16.