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

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.

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"

"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!