Prince Louis rode his balance bike to nursery school and we're melting

Big boy alert! Prince William and Kate shared a new photo of Prince Louis on the eve of his third birthday, taken outside of their home at Kensington Palace, and we're melting. Their youngest posed perched on his balance bike, proudly wearing his backpack for his first day of nursery school.

"Three tomorrow! 🚲" the caption read. "Taken earlier this week by The Duchess before he left for his first day of nursery, The Duke and Duchess are pleased to share a new image of Prince Louis. 🎈"

Aside from the utter cuteness of the photo, we have questions. Did he ride his balance bike all the way to school? Or was he going for a quick ride before hitting the books? According to Google Maps, it's an 11-minute walk through the park—which translates to... 45 minutes for a kid on a balance bike? Ha.

Louis is following in the footsteps of his big sibling Princess Charlotte, becoming the second Cambridge kid to attend Willcocks Nursery School in London. Charlotte and their eldest brother, Prince George, are now students at Thomas's Battersea, a nearby private school.

The little prince looks adorable in classic royal style, wearing a collared shirt with a sweater and preppy shorts, plus sturdy Adidas sneakers perfect for cruising.

We hope Louis had the best first day of preschool and his second pandemic birthday is a good one. Last year, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared photos of the toddler making rainbow handprint art, which looked equal parts messy according to the royals' funny "Instagram vs reality" post.

One thing is for sure—the family will be feasting on cake tomorrow. In a 2019 appearance on Mary Berry's A Berry Royal Christmas, Kate said that whipping up an over-the-top dessert is her birthday tradition.

"I love making the cake," she said. "It's become a bit of a tradition that I stay up 'til midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing and I make far too much. But I love it."

And the birthday fun doesn't end here! We can expect a new photo of Princess Charlotte to celebrate her sixth birthday on May 2, and Prince George turns eight this summer on July 22.