A new picture of Princess Charlotte has been released to mark her 10th birthday (Image: The Princess of Wales)
An adorable new picture of Princess Charlotte has been released to mark her 10th birthday today. The young royal, who is the second child and only daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales, looks all grown up in the new picture released by Kensington Palace this morning.
Mum Kate, an amateur photographer who often takes pictures of her children, took the photo on her iPhone when the family were in Cumbria earlier this year. Charlotte is wearing a camouflage jacket and navy blue leggings as she smiles at the camera with a gorgeous hillside setting behind her. She is sitting on the ground and leaning back, with a blue rucksack on her back. Her long hair is tied back into a low ponytail.
The new picture was shared on Kensington Palace’s official social media accounts, with a message that read: “Happy 10th Birthday Princess Charlotte!
Royal fans rushed to wish the young royal a happy birthday and were impressed by Kate’s photography skills.
One person said: “Fab photo in the great outdoors! Pretty as a picture, and natural too. HB Princess Charlotte.” Another wrote: “Aw she looks so grown up! A beautiful photo taken by Catherine. Happy Birthday Princess Charlotte!” While a third said: “What a beautiful photograph! Happy birthday, Princess Charlotte.”
The outdoorsy photo reflects the Prince and Princess of Wales’ love of nature, having recently spent two days in the beautiful Isle of Mull, off the coast of Scotland.
Kate has spoken repeatedly about how being outdoors and engaging with nature helped her through her cancer diagnosis and treatment last year. In a special message for Mother’s Day, she said nature has been her family’s “sanctuary” over the past year.
She said: “Over the past year, nature has been our sanctuary. This Mother’s Day, let us celebrate Mother Nature and recognise how our bond with the natural world can help not only nurture our inner selves, but remind us too of the role we play within the rich tapestry of life.”
Just over a week ago, Charlotte’s younger brother Prince Louis celebrated his seventh birthday – with Kensington Palace releasing a new picture and behind-the-scenes video of the shoot to mark the special occasion. The picture was taken by Josh Shinner, who has taken pictures of the Wales family before, in Norfolk last month.
The image shows Louis sitting on a tree trunk as he smiles at the camera, proudly showing off his missing baby teeth. He is wearing jeans, a checkered shirt and a green jumper. Bluebells can be seen in the background of the photo.
The Prince and Princess of Wales release a new photograph of their children to mark their birthdays each year, though last year saw a slight change in tactic following the furore over Kate’s Mother’s Day picture, which she admitted to editing.
Up until 2024, which marked a difficult year for the family as the princess was diagnosed with cancer, the couple would release the image on the eve of their birthday. Mum Kate, who is a keen photographer, is usually the one behind the camera.
But last year, they decided to release the image on the day of their children’s birthday, with Louis’ 6th birthday snap marking the change in precedent. They adopted the same approach for both Prince Charlotte and Prince George’s birthday.