It’s her day! The royal family celebrated Princess Charlotte‘s 8th birthday with a new portrait.
“Wishing Princess Charlotte a very happy birthday! 8 tomorrow 🎈🎂,” read a caption shared via Prince William and Princess Kate‘s Instagram account on Monday, May 1. Credit for the snap was given to Kate, 41.
The candid pic appeared to be taken from a bird’s-eye view, with Charlotte’s brunette locks flowing down her shoulders. She smiled as if mid-laugh while wearing a crisp white dress with a dainty floral pattern.
William, 40, and his wife welcomed their daughter in May 2015, two years after big brother Prince George was born. The couple’s third child, son Prince Louis, arrived in April 2018.
As she’s grown up, Charlotte has proved herself to be “sharp and bright as a button,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2022. “She is top of her class at reading. She actually enjoys doing homework,” the insider added.
Apart from being stellar in school, the young royal is branching out to explore all different areas of interest. “[She] loves acrobats and is very into the arts and acting,” the source told Us. “Whenever she gets a chance, she’ll put on a performance!”
At the time, the insider noted that William and Kate are raising their little ones to be “aware of their privileges” as members of the royal family. The Prince and Princess of Wales have “taught them to be graceful” and to “treat their peers with kindness and as equals.”
Charlotte’s birthday comes less than one week before her grandfather King Charles III is officially crowned in his coronation ceremony. He assumed the throne immediately after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 and will be celebrated alongside wife Queen Camilla on Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey in London.
Earlier this year, U.K. outlet The Times reported that William and Kate’s three children would take part in the procession on Charles’ big day. Buckingham Palace announced in April that George will be one of several Pages of Honor walking during the ceremony, but no official word was given regarding Charlotte and Louis’ involvement.
George and his little sister attended Elizabeth’s funeral last fall, but Louis stayed home. “Kate and William flip-flopped over whether Louis should attend the queen’s funeral,” a source exclusively told Us, adding that the Cambridge couple “came to the conclusion that the procession and service would be too lengthy and overwhelming for their youngest to handle and digest.”
On the day of the funeral, Charlotte paid homage to her great-grandmother with a silver horseshoe brooch pinned to her black dress. As she and George watched the queen’s coffin go by at Wellington Arch, the young princess was caught reminding the future king of royal protocol. Charlotte nudged her big brother and told him to bow as a sign of respect to the late monarch.
Prince Harry’s niece pulled a similar move during the Platinum Jubilee festivities in June 2022, instructing George to stand up straight on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
