Princess Charlotte turns 6: See Duchess Kate's new birthday photo of the little royal

Happy birthday, Princess Charlotte!

In honor of Prince William and Duchess Kate's daughter turning 6 on Sunday, Buckingham Palace released a new photo of the young princess on Saturday, taken over the weekend in Norfolk, England, by her mother.

The picture shows a smiling Charlotte in a blue floral, button-front dress with a Peter Pan collar, her long hair worn loose. She's looking directly into Kate's camera.

Charlotte Elizabeth Diana is the middle child and only daughter of Prince William and Duchess Kate. Her younger brother, Prince Louis, turned 3 on April 23, and her older brother, Prince George, turns 8 on July 22.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have released photos every year of their children on their birthdays, a tradition that started with their firstborn Prince George. Typically, Kate snaps the photos of the kiddos.

Royal fans don't often get to see photos of the Cambridge children outside of their birthdays, Christmas and other important events, but admirers have glimpsed more of the little royals lately.

Prince Louis turns 3! Duchess Kate shares new birthday photo of the youngest Cambridge

The official Instagram account for the British royal family shared a rare photo of Prince Philip, who died at age 99 last month, and Queen Elizabeth II with seven of their 10 great-grandchildren, including the Cambridge children. 

According to the caption, the picture was taken by Duchess Kate in 2018 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

In March, the official @KensingtonRoyal Instagram account also shared photos of George, Charlotte and Louis' hand-decorated cards for "Granny Diana" on Mother's Day in the U.K. Charlotte's card, which had a rainbow-colored heart and several flower stickers, read: "I am thinking of you on Mother's Day. I love you very much. Papa is missing you."

As the daughter of a direct heir to the throne (Prince William is second in line, Prince Charles is first in line), Charlotte was given the princess title at birth by the queen. She is fourth in line to the throne behind brother George.

'Papa is missing you':Will and Kate's kids pay tribute to 'Granny Diana' on UK's Mother's Day

In her few public appearances, Charlotte has proved to be a cheeky child – she stuck her tongue out at photographers at a summer yacht race in 2019 – and early on got the hang of the royal wave.

Contributing: Cydney Henderson, Maria Puente and Kim Willis

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