And once again, royal fans get to see a new snapshot: For Princess Charlotte's ninth birthday on May 2, Prince William (41) and Princess Kate (42) published a new portrait of their daughter on Instagram. It was shot by Kate herself, as can be seen from the photo description.

The photo shows a beaming Charlotte posing in the garden in front of a flower bush with her long, loose hair and dressed in a denim skirt, sweater and red cardigan. The young girl looks more and more like her parents, especially her father William's facial features come through in little Charlotte.

"Happy ninth birthday, Princess Charlotte! Thank you for all the kind messages today," the royals wrote.

In direct comparison to Charlotte's portrait on the occasion of her eighth birthday last year, it is noticeable that her hair is becoming longer and, above all, blonder. In addition, her sweet tooth gaps have disappeared.

Kate, who is known to have a passion for photography, almost always takes portraits of her children herself. A picture of the offspring that Kate took was also published on Prince Louis' sixth birthday on April 23rd. The Princess of Wales has remained out of the public eye since her cancer diagnosis. Kate will not make any public appearances during her treatment.