Prince William and Kate Middleton break tradition again with Princess Charlotte’s birthday

Princess Charlotte turns nine today and fans have been eagerly awaiting the annual birthday photo the family release of each child on their special day – but the couple have broken tradition again.

Kate Middleton and Prince William are set to break tradition again with Princess Charlotte’s birthday, just a week after they did the same for Prince Louis.

The royal couple have another reason to celebrate as their daughter turns nine today – Thursday, May 2. Traditionally, fans eagerly anticipate the annual birthday photo that the family releases of each child on their special day.

However, the Prince and Princess of Wales deviated from this long-standing practice last week when Prince Louis turned six.

In the past, the couple would release images for their children’s birthdays under embargo the day before. But for Louis’ sixth birthday, a fresh picture of the young prince was shared directly on social media on his actual birthday.

So far, no new image of Princess Charlotte has been released, indicating that the couple plan to continue breaking from tradition. It is expected that a new photo of Charlotte will be posted on social media later today, on her actual birthday.

The change in procedure is understood to be due to the unique circumstances the family is currently facing. William and Kate have requested privacy following the princess’s cancer diagnosis, reports the Mirror.

Princess Charlotte with mum Kate
Princess Charlotte with mum Kate (Image: WireImage)

Despite this, they did share a photo of Louis last week as a way to express gratitude for the birthday wishes he received.

Like her brothers, Charlotte is largely growing up away from the public glare. She was last seen on an official outing on Christmas Day when the Royal Family made their traditional festive appearance on King Charles’ Sandringham Estate to walk to church.

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She was pictured accepting gifts from well-wishers alongside Zara and Mike Tindall’s eldest daughter.

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Meanwhile, back in December, she joined George and Louis at the annual Westminster Abbey carol concert staged by their mother Kate. And a few weeks before the festive event, the trio were taken volunteering by their mother, visiting the Baby Bank in Holyport near Maidenhead, where they got stuck in sifting through donated goods.

Since then, the past few months have been an eventful period for the Wales family. The couple took the time to sensitively share Kate’s cancer diagnosis with their children, who also include Prince George, 10, giving them time to process the information.

Charlotte goes to Lambrook School in Berkshire with her brothers. It is likely a family birthday celebration will be held after the youngster’s school day is over.

The princess is William and Kate’s middle child and is third-in-line to the throne. She was born on May 2, 2015, at the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, weighing 8lb 3oz.

She was christened Charlotte Elizabeth Diana at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, in front of family and friends.

At the age of three, she made history when her younger brother Louis was born, as she wasn’t overtaken by him in the line of succession due to a change in the rules of primogeniture. Previously, males took precedence over females and Louis’ birth in 2018 was the first to be affected by the new changes.

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