The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a new photograph of their daughter, Princess Charlotte, to mark her ninth birthday on Thursday, 2 May.
The sweet new picture was taken by the Princess of Wales and shows the little Princess posing in a navy blue jumper, maroon cardigan and denim skirt. Alongside the image which was shared on the couple's social media, a caption read: "Happy 9th Birthday, Princess Charlotte! Thank you for all of the kind messages today."
Royal fans rushed to comment as one fan gushed: "Happy Birthday to Princess Charlotte. Beautiful inside and out. Supportive sister, loving daughter. Am enjoying seeing her grow up and flourish. Hope the cake-baking was fun!"
Another added: "She’s growing up so fast and isn’t she the image of her father. Happy birthday lil one, another lovely photograph by The Princess of Wales." A third continued: "Oh my goodness, how beautifully she has grown! She has her daddy’s eyes and her mum’s beautiful smile! Happiest birthday sweet Princess Charlotte."
The release of the new photograph follows a busy time of celebration for the family amid a difficult few months. On 23 April, the Waleses marked Prince Louis' sixth birthday and days later on 29 April, the Prince and Princess of Wales commemorated their 13th wedding anniversary.
The release of the new photograph follows a busy time of celebration for the family amid a difficult few months. On 23 April, the Waleses marked Prince Louis' sixth birthday and days later on 29 April, the Prince and Princess of Wales commemorated their 13th wedding anniversary.
The young royal was born at the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, at 8.34am on May 2, 2015, weighing 8lbs 3oz. She was named Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana after her great-grandmother and grandmother.
Along with her brothers, Charlotte is educated at Lambrook School which is nearby to the Wales family home, Adelaide Cottage, on the Windsor Estate. She spent her earliest years living at Anmer Hall in Norfolk while Prince William was working as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance Service.
And, even though she’s still less than a decade old, Princess Charlotte has already made history. The rules of primogeniture - which historically saw any female heir unseated if a younger brother was born - were altered in the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, meaning that any younger brother born after this date can no longer leapfrog an older sister.
Royal fans frequently flock on social media to point out the amazing resemblance Princess Charlotte bears to members of her father's side of the family, such as Lady Sarah Chatto and Diana, Princess of Wales' niece, Lady Kitty Spencer.
As well as looking like her late great-grandmother and grandmother, fans are often left shocked at the similarity between the young royal and her father - including Prince William himself.
During a visit to Bradford in 2020, the Prince and Princess of Wales examined a cake which was designed by Siami Ali, when Prince William noticed something “incredible”.
William pointed to a cute photo of himself dressed in a red jumpsuit from 1992 and was stunned at his resemblance to Princess Charlotte. The likeness is so strong that it even had William doing a double take, he quipped to Kate: "Is that me? Doesn't it look like Charlotte?"
The Princess of Wales came for a closer look and agreed saying: "It looks so much like Charlotte." William then repeated his previous statement, adding: "Is that me? That looks just like Charlotte. That's incredible, I haven't seen that before. Very alike in similarity."
Charlotte was last seen in public on Christmas Day when she walked to church with her family and second cousin Mia Tindall at Sandringham. The Wales family spent quality time together during the Easter holidays following Kate’s public announcement about her health.
William and Kate released an unedited new photo of Louis straight to social media, rather than under embargo to the press as was the tradition, to mark his sixth birthday on 23 April. It avoided the uproar sparked by the princess’s digitally altered Mother’s Day photo.
