With flowing blonde hair and her cheeky grin, Princess Charlotte is every inch the perfect Princess in her ninth birthday portrait.
Her mother Kate Middleton was back behind the camera again to snap an image of her daughter to mark her special day on Thursday.
Wearing a £42 raspberry wool cardigan from Parisian brand Cyrillus teamed with a demin skirt from the same brand, the youngster grinned happily for the camera.
It’s the second time in recent weeks that Kate and William royals have broken with their long-held tradition for releasing their children’s birthday portraits.
And it would appear Charlotte paid a sweet homage to her late great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, as she posed alongside pale pink flowers named in her honour.
The blooms – known as Clematis montana var. rubens cultivar – are one of the first plants named after the monarch, as reported by Gardens Illustrated.
Kensington Palace typically releases portraits of the Wales children early in the morning to mark their birthdays.
With flowing blonde hair and her cheeky grin, Princess Charlotte is every inch the perfect Princess in her ninth birthday portrait
However, in a break with tradition, the pair shared a snap of Prince Louis last Tuesday afternoon rather than at midnight on his birthday – as is customary with new royal portraits.
They also shared an unseen wedding photo to mark their 13th wedding anniversary. Many were wondering if the future King and Queen will share a new snap of their only daughter, following the fallout from their Photoshop furore earlier this year.
A Mother’s Day portrait of Kate and her children, released on 10th March, was pulled by multiple photo agencies after it was revealed the image had been significantly edited.
Less than two weeks later, Kate announced in an emotional video that she has cancer and spoke of the need to protect her young family.
The Mail’s Rebecca English revealed that the couple had initially decided not to issue one at all given their recent appeals for privacy at such an ‘unprecedented’ time for their family, but changed their minds because they wanted to thank fans for their kind wishes to Prince Louis.
And in conversation with The Express royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams added that once they’d decided to release a photo there were likely a lot of discussions about the best approach, given the furore over Kate’s edited Mother’s Day photo.
Overall, Richard said the timing could ’emphasise Kate’s need for time, space and privacy.’
For their daughter’s birthday last year, the couple released two images of a beaming Charlotte. In one, she gave her mother a gap-toothed grin to mark the occasion
In another, she was pictured in a blue-and-white striped jumper from Boden as she snuggled up with the family’s beloved black cocker spaniel Orla
Describing the ‘vexed’ issue of her Mother’s Day portrait, he described the backlash as a ‘highly embarrassing contretemps’.
He added that not rushing out a birthday photo of Louis could also ’emphasise her need for time, space and privacy which she expressed so movingly’ in the video message revealing she has cancer.
Earlier this year, the Princess of Wales detailed how the cancerous cells were discovered, while she was undergoing surgery for a different condition in January.
For their daughter’s birthday last year, the couple released two images of a beaming Charlotte.
In one, she gave her mother a gap-toothed grin to mark the occasion. With her tousled dark hair and flushed cheeks, it seems that country life at the King’s Berkshire estate, where the family moved to last summer, is agreeing with her.
Princess Charlotte, taken at the Wales’ Norfolk home Anmer Hall, was shared to mark the youngster turning seven. Royal watchers noted the resemblance to her father in this image
Charlotte pictured when she was five (pictured, left) and six (pictured, right) for her birthday portraits
Previously, Princess Charlotte has shared her birthday pictures with her younger brother Louis (pictured, left), returning to solo portraits the next year when she turned four (pictured, right)
A princess turns one (pictured, left), and the princess turns two, with this sweet photo shared to mark her big day
In another, she was pictured in a blue-and-white striped jumper from Boden as she snuggled up with the family’s beloved black cocker spaniel Orla.
Releasing the images, Kensington Palace said: ‘The Prince and Princess of Wales are delighted to share a new photograph of Princess Charlotte ahead of her eighth birthday.’
Many at the time noted her similarity to her father, William. The father-daughter duo appear to share a number of similar facial features, including their eyes and nose, and expressions.
They both have large, beaming smiles, which boast more than a passing family resemblance.
The year prior, as Charlotte celebrated turning seven, photos showing the youngster at the family’s country home Anmer Hall in Norfolk were published.
The images show Charlotte laughing into the lens, as she wears a blue patterned blouse and jumper, and clutches a posy of freshly picked daisies.
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