Prince And Princess Of Wales Celebrate Princess Charlotte’s 9th Birthday With New Royal Tradition

May 02, 2024

Princess Charlotte, the second child and only daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales, is slowly growing into a delightful young girl. With each passing year, Charlotte’s personality comes out more.

She’s proving to be the cheekiest member of the royal family. Besides her fiery personality, Charlotte also closely resembles various family members of hers. This includes her father, her late grandmother, Princess Diana, and her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Fans have long drawn the resemblance between her and Elizabeth since the little royal was a baby. 

Born on May 2, 2015, at St Mary’s Hospital in London, Charlotte has already impacted England as one of the children in the Wales family. She was born second in her family, following her older brother. According to the Guardian, Prince George was the only visitor. William had carried the tiny prince up the hospital steps to see his mom and meet his sister.

Several landmarks, including the London Eye and Tower Bridge, were illuminated pink to honor her arrival following her birth. There were also salutes at Hyde Park and the Tower of London. Just a few days later, it was announced that Charlotte’s full name was Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, which honored both Diana and the current reigning monarch and her great-grandmother, the queen.

As Princess Charlotte celebrates her 9th birthday today, her parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, might celebrate her grand day like they did for their youngest son, Prince Louis, on April 23, 2024. Keep reading to learn more about how the Wales’ will celebrate Princess Charlotte’s birthday. 

Charlotte is the middle child of the Wales family, as she has an older brother, George, and a younger brother, Prince Louis. She is also Prince William and Kate Middleton’s only daughter and is currently third in line of succession to the throne. With her grandfather, King Charles III, being the reigning monarch, Charlotte follows her father and her older brother in line for the throne.

The daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales is adorable and very confident for a middle child. In fact, her mother said she is “the one in charge” of their household, according to Samantha Burge, the wife of a Royal Marine commando who spent time with the duchess and spoke to PEOPLE.

A royal insider told Closer Weekly that “Charlotte is outgoing and oozes confidence. The insider added, “Standing in front of hundreds of paparazzi doesn’t faze her in the slightest. She actually enjoys being in the spotlight!”

The young princess is also extremely well known for bearing a remarkable resemblance to her late grandmother. Back in 2018, a fan account on Instagram posted side-by-side photographs of Charlotte and Diana when she was a little girl and noticed their uncanny resemblance.

However, the similarities to her great-grandmother are perhaps even more obvious. If you compare old photos of Elizabeth at Charlotte’s age, the two could even pass as sisters. Charlotte appears to have a fondness for horses, just like the queen did. A source close to the royals told Closer Weekly in 2019 that Charlotte asked her parents for a pony for Christmas. While William deemed her too young to ride, they gave their daughter a toy riding center with accessories.

Charlotte has continued to grow more from her days as a tiny tot, and the royal family has done wonders in celebrating Charlotte’s birthday over the years. As is tradition, a portrait of the princess was released for her 6th birthday. Taken by Kate, who, the Observer reported, is often hailed as the "unofficial royal photographer," Charlotte looked truly radiant as she smiled brightly for the camera.

In an Instagram post from May 1, 2022, the Prince and Princess of Wales posted a new photo taken by Kate ahead of Princess Charlotte's birthday. The caption read, "Seven tomorrow! 🎂📸The Duchess.”

The royal family uploaded yet another adorable photo of Charlotte on Instagram the next day as Charlotte officially turned 7. The photo was, of course, taken by Kate again, and the caption read,” Thank you for all the lovely messages on Princess Charlotte’s seventh birthday!”

The unofficial royal photographer and mom has struck again this year by releasing a highly anticipated new portrait of the birthday girl. On Monday, May 1, 2023, Kate Middleton shared yet another gorgeous photo of Charlotte in honor of her birthday on the official Instagram account for the Prince and Princess of Wales. The post was captioned: 

Wishing Princess Charlotte a very happy birthday! 8 tomorrow 🎈🎂

📸 The Princess

Fans didn't hesitate to bring up the resemblance between Charlotte and her father, Prince William, in the comments. One fan wrote:

"Looks so much like her dad in this shot!! Just beautiful. Happy Charlotte day!"

The young royal received plenty of birthday greetings for her 8th birthday from adoring fans all over the world. 

Sadly, 2024 has been an especially difficult year for the British Royal Family and Princess Charlotte because her grandfather, King Charles, and her mother, Kate, were both diagnosed with cancer. 

Because of this predicament, Kate has been recovering privately as she stepped away from official duties as Princess of Wales. Before her revelation, she was entangled in a photo manipulation scandal where she took responsibility for releasing a poorly edited photo of her and her children for Mother’s Day. 

The backlash that Kate has received seems to have affected her. 

“When the Princess of Wales was attacked for editing her Mother’s Day family photograph, it hurt her deeply,” Majesty Magazine editor-in-chief Ingrid Seward told Fabulous through The Sun. “She had been taking photographs of her children since their birth. After several photo agencies decided to drop her photoshopped Mother’s Day photograph, her hurt was such that together she and William decided if they were going to let the world see pictures of their children it would be on their terms.”

Following the harsh criticisms she received, Kate then took the official birthday portrait of her youngest son, Prince Louis, when he turned six on April 23, 2024. Instead of releasing it to the media, they posted it only on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter. 

“Now when they release a photograph it will be through their Kensington Palace offices, that way they have control,” Seward revealed. “It is a small but necessary step forward towards protecting their family in the increasingly hostile world of social media and beyond.” 

Princess Charlotte’s 9th birthday portrait is expected to be released only through Kensington Palace and the Prince and Princess of Wales’ social media accounts. 

Happy Birthday, Princess Charlotte! What are your wishes for the young royal? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other Royal Family fans out there!