Why Kensington Palace haven’t released any new photos of Princess Charlotte to mark her third birthday

published 2 May 2018

Kate Middleton and Prince William usually share a new photograph or portrait of their children to celebrate their birthday, but the proud parents broke this tradition for Princess Charlotte's third birthday for a very important reason.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their third child, Prince Louis, into the world last week.

While the new mum and dad of three will be working hard to ensure all their children have enough of their attention, this week is another time for celebration for the Cambridge family, as it is their only daughter's third birthday.

However, unlike previous birthdays of Prince George and Princess Charlotte's, the couple have decided not to release a new portrait of Princess Charlotte to mark the special occasion. Instead, Kensington Palace released an old picture of Princess Charlotte from when she started nursery.

The birthday tweet said: 'Wishing a happy third birthday to Princess Charlotte – thank you all for your lovely messages!'

Hello! magazine reports that the reason why the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have not released a new photo of their daughter is down to the fact that the royal couple are very conscious of protecting their children and their privacy.

As the public saw Princess Charlotte so recently, when she and her older brother Prince George made a rare public appearance to visit their new baby brother in hospital, it is reported that Kate and William will most likely have decided not to share another new picture of Princess Charlotte because they do not want to overexpose their children to the media at such a young age.

However, disappointed fans of the royals won't have to wait long to get another glimpse of the adorable Princess and her big brother George. The entire Cambridge family is expected to attend Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle on 19 May, and then the family of five will likely be spotted again at the Queen's Trooping The Colour which will take place on 9 June.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte have joined their parents and great-grandmother on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on previous years so it is likely they'll return this year with their brother Prince Louis too.

Royal watchers are also hoping that keen photographer Kate will take some adorable snaps of her new baby boy Louis with his older brother and sister, as the Duchess did after Princess Charlotte was born.

Kensington Palace

Prince George with his little sister Princess Charlotte

When Princess Charlotte was born the Duchess shared a picture of George holding his younger sister that she had captured at home in Anmer Hall, Norfolk.

Fingers crossed we get a similarly adorable photo of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and baby Prince Louis soon!

Jessica is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe tester. She previously worked as Senior Food Writer at Future. While at Future Jessica wrote food and drink-related news stories and features, curated product pages, reviewed equipment, and developed recipes that she then styled on food shoots. She is an enthusiastic, self-taught cook who adores eating out and sharing great food and drink with friends and family. She has completed the Level 1 Associate course at the Academy of Cheese and is continually building on her knowledge of beers, wines, and spirits.