A new portrait has been shared to mark Princess Charlotte’s eighth birthday tomorrow (May 2).
Photographed by her mother, as in previous years, she gave the Princess of Wales, 41, 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.
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.’
And just like the images posted last year to mark Charlotte’s special day, it shows the striking resemblance the princess has to her father Prince William, 40.
Happy Birthday Charlotte! A new photograph has been released to mark the young royal’s birthday. She turns eight on May 2
Princess Charlotte bears a striking resemblance to her father Prince William (pictured in Birmingham last month) in her recent birthday portrait
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.
Every year, the Wales release new pictures to mark their children’s birthdays, generally taken by their mother, the Princess of Wales.
Last year, 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.
While her birthday is on May 2, the young royal started celebrating early, and was spotted out and about in London celebrating at the weekend.
The princess was no doubt delighted by the pre-birthday treat her mother arranged for her on Saturday, taking a group of friends to the Royal Opera House to see the ballet Cinderella, where the girls were allowed up on stage at the end.
As a Twitter user confirmed her surprise at seeing the royal mother and daughter in the audience, a video on Instagram showed the Princess of Wales going up to her daughter who was on stage.
Last year: This image of 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
Today’s release of the latest portrait follows the Wales’ tradition of sharing photos of their children to mark their birthdays each year, when she was five (pictured, left) and six (pictured, right)
In the clip, the lucky birthday girl had been brought on with the performers and shyly smiles while proud mother Kate makes a fuss of her.
Charlotte, who is wearing a sweet fuchsia dress with frills and has her hair in a bun, can also be seen waving an illuminated wand while she appears to be joined onstage by her pals.
In another clip, Charlotte and the other girls take to the stage as glitter falls upon them as the princess raises her hands in the air to try and catch it.
And she will be making an appearance in the capital again very soon.
Charlotte is set to enchant royal fans this weekend when she appears with her family at the Coronation.
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
She is not believed to have an official role due to her age but she is expected to attend the ceremony at Westminster Abbey as well as make an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
And the young royal is expected to join her father the Prince of Wales, her mother Kate, older brother Prince George, nine and younger brother Prince Louis, five, in the coronation procession.
It was reported last week that the royal siblings will sit in a carriage with their parents behind King Charles and Queen Camilla, who will travel in the Gold State Coach.
The Wales will be joined by the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.
As he was: Prince William, when he was eight-years-old, looked much like his daughter Charlotte at the same age
Princess Anne, who is a former Olympic equestrian, will ride horseback behind the gold state coach that will carry Charles and Camilla down The Mall.
This role is formally given the title of Gold-Stick-in-Waiting, a position that has historically been given to the person trusted with looking after the Monarch’s safety.
Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Prince Harry are not expected to participate.
After much speculation about whether the Sussexes would attend the coronation or not, it was confirmed last month that Prince Harry would be flying into London to be at Westminster Abbey for the ceremony, but Meghan would remain in Montecito, California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
But it was reported at the weekend that the Duke’s visit to the UK would be fleeting and it was unlikely he’d stick around for very long as he is eager to return to the US for Prince Archie’s fourth birthday – which is also on Saturday.
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