Princess Charlotte Turns 9—See the Sweet Photo by Mom Kate

(Image credit: Courtesy of the Prince and Princess of Wales / Instagram)

Princess Charlotte turns nine today, which seems impossible, and yet!

Yep, it really has been nine years since Princess Kate and Prince William presented their little bundle of joy of a daughter to the world on the steps outside St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, on May 2, 2015.

rince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess Of Cambridge depart the Lindo Wing with their new baby daughter at St Mary's Hospital on May 2, 2015 in London, England — Prince William and Princess Kate pose with newborn Princess Charlotte on May 2, 2015, in London.

As is their custom, the Prince and Princess of Wales have once again shared an exclusive photo of the little girl on her birthday, taken by Kate herself. In the picture, Charlotte is standing in a garden, leaning on a hedge and surrounded by flowers, and smiling wide at the camera. She looks incredibly sweet in shades of red and blue, and her dark blonde hair has grown extra long. Also, she looks more like Prince William than ever.

"Happy 9th Birthday, Princess Charlotte!" her parents captioned their Instagram tribute.

"Thank you for all of the kind messages today.

"[Photo] The Princess of Wales"

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A photo posted by princeandprincessofwales on

"William said copy and paste hahaha," commented one astute royal watcher.

Millie Pilkington, a photographer often commissioned by the Waleses to take their family photos, commented, "Happy birthday dear Princess Charlotte. Such a beautiful photo taken by your very talented mother. Have a wonderful day!"

This year, following the Photoshop drama about an edited Mother's Day photo the family posted in March, there was doubt as to whether Kate would be the one taking Prince Louis' official birthday photograph, to be shared on April 23.

Since the 6-year-old's mom did in fact take his photo, there then seemed little doubt that she would also take Charlotte's when her birthday came around. Result!

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A photo posted by princeandprincessofwales on

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Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.