The Duchess of Cambridge PA
The royal family has released three new photographs to mark Princess Charlotte’s fourth birthday on May 2. The series of portraits were taken last month by her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge – who also captured Prince Louis’s official first birthday pictures – at the family’s homes at Kensington Palace and Anmer Hall.
In the first photo, Charlotte is pictured sitting on a patch of grass wearing a floral dress with a Peter Pan collar and navy-and-white Hampton pumps. The second is an action shot of her holding a daffodil and charging around the grounds of Anmer Hall on the day of the Burnham Market International Horse Trials. In the third shot, captured on the same day in Norfork, she sits on a fence wearing an Amaia Kids dress under a grey cashmere cardigan.
The outdoor imagery is in line with the pictures the Duchess shared of her youngest child, Louis, on April 23. The keen amateur photographer, who has also designed a garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, has previously spoken about the importance of outdoor play: “Spending quality time together is such an important aspect of family life and for me, as a mother, it is the simple family moments like playing outside together that I cherish,” she has said.
The Duchess of Cambridge PA
The palace formally thanked well-wishers for the “lovely messages” they had received on behalf of Charlotte. Top of the comment section was a message from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex via the Instagram account @sussexroyal. “Happy Birthday Charlotte! ??Lots of love, H and M xo,” read the post. Indeed, the news precedes the announcement of the four-year-old’s cousin, the first child of Prince Harry and Meghan, who is expected to arrive any day now.
