The Prince and Princess of Wales thanked everyone for their daughter’s birthday wishes with a candid snap of Princess Charlotte cuddling up to their family pet. The picture, taken by Millie Pilkington, shows Charlotte – who celebrated turning eight today – cuddling her black spaniel Orla whilst smiling at the camera amongst flowers outside. Charlotte posed for a similar photo for her birthday last year.
Writing on their official Twitter account, the Prince and Princess of Wales said: “Thank you for all the birthday wishes.”
Kate and Prince William shared another photo of their daughter this morning, where she was seen smiling in a white dress patterned with flowers.
Her mother, the Princess of Wales, took the picture in Windsor at the weekend.
Charlotte was born in the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, at 08:34 on 2 May 2015, weighing 8lb 3oz.
Royal fans gushed over the new image, with one person writing: “Happy 8th Birthday sweet, sweet Princess Charlotte!”
Another said: “She is beautiful and have a beautiful smile, so cute. It’s just like her father, her twin.”
Whilst a third added: “Beautiful Princess. You mean the world to so many.”
Charlotte’s birthday comes just days before her grandfather King Charles will be crowned at Westminster Abbey for his Coronation.
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The princess is expected to accompany her siblings in the procession which will follow the King’s Coronation, according to reports.
The trio will also be expected on the Buckingham Palace balcony afterwards – with royal fans hoping for a repeat of Louis’s antics during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.