Prince Charlotte Is All Smiles On Her ‘Delayed’ 9th Birthday Portrait Taken By Mom Kate Middleton

May 03, 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 celebrated her 9th birthday, her parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, marked the milestone by sharing her new portrait with the world—the same way they did for their youngest son, Prince Louis, who celebrated his 6th birthday on April 23, 2024. 

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.

Charlotte has continued to grow since her days as a tiny tot, and the royal family has done wonders in celebrating her birthday over the years. Traditionally, a portrait of the princess was released for her birthdays. Taken by Kate, who, the Observer reported, is often hailed as the "unofficial royal photographer.” 

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 her harsh criticisms, Kate 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.” 

When Prince Louis’ birthday came, many were worried that the family would stop a longstanding tradition of releasing their portraits at midnight on the child’s birthday. It ended up being released with a slight delay at 12:30 p.m. on Louis’ birthday. 

Veteran royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams spoke to The Daily Express and shared his theories on why the release of the prince’s portrait was delayed. 

“It is something of a royal tradition that royal birthdays are celebrated by the release of photographs, Catherine has taken a great many and they are always eagerly awaited,” he noted. 

Fitzwilliams also pointed out that the delay might have been caused by discussions taking place within the Wales’ office, noting that it must have been needed to “emphasise her need for time, space and privacy which she expressed so movingly in the message and, after the misunderstandings of recent weeks, this should be universally understood.”

As expected, the official social media accounts of the Prince and Princess of Wales released the official portrait of Princess Charlotte for her 9th birthday, albeit with a delay of several hours. The young royal wore a blue shirt beneath a red jumper and a denim skirt. Charlotte was beaming with a smile while she posed near a bush of flowers, her long blonde hair flowing on her elbows. 

Fans greeted Charlotte in the comment section on Instagram. 

“i love that your mom is still taking the family portraits - happy birthday sweetness,” one said. 

“Happiest of Birthdays to Princess Charlotte. I hope her day was spent in sunshine, with her friends and family and cousins celebrating how precious she is. 🎂🌸🇦🇺,” a fan wrote. 

“Happy birthday Princess Charlotte! She is growing up so quickly and so beautifully. Sending tremendous loving wishes for the best possible healing and health for our incredibly admirable, elegant, kind, and beloved Princess Catherine ❤️❤️❤️,” another commented. 

What can you say about Princess Charlotte’s birthday portrait? Isn’t she beautiful? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other loved ones out there!