Princess Charlotte Cuddled Up To Her Family Dog Orla For Her 7th Birthday Photos

Princess Charlotte is growing up! In honor of her 7th birthday on May 2, Kensington Palace released three new pictures of the young royal, taken by her mom, Kate Middleton. Cuddled next to the Cambridge family’s new dog, Princess Charlotte looks so beautiful and happy posing in a field of flowers.

“Seven tomorrow!” the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who are also parents to Prince George, 8, and Prince Louis, 4, wrote on Instagram ahead of their daughter’s birthday along with the first two photos of Princess Charlotte. The princess is wearing a soft blue sweater over a white collared shirt with blue polka dots. She also has navy blue pants on, and her long brown hair is worn down around her shoulders. But it’s her glowing smile that steals all the attention. Her sweet grin reaches all the way to her eyes, and offers a glimpse of her missing bottom tooth! It seems like just yesterday she was starting school, and now she’s already getting her adult teeth and growing into a sweet young lady.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to share three new photographs of Princess Charlotte ahead of her seventh birthday tomorrow,” the couple said in a statement Sunday.

The third photo posted today shows Princess Charlotte hugging her knees and smiling surrounded by what looks like lavender flowers. “Thank you for all the lovely messages on Princess Charlotte’s seventh birthday!” the caption read.

Despite being known as her mom’s mini-me, it’s incredible how much Princess Charlotte looks just like her dad, Prince William, in these pictures!

In one of the photos, the princess is hugging a pretty black cocker spaniel named Orla. According to People, this is the Cambridges’ dog, whom they adopted from Middleton’s younger brother, James Middleton, after their beloved first dog, Lupo, passed away in November 2020. This puppy is actually related to Lupo, as it is one of a litter of six from Lupo’s sister Luna.

The official Royal Family Twitter account (@RoyalFamily) wished the little princess a happy birthday today, and clarified the photos were taken by Middleton “this weekend in Norfolk.”

The Cambridges often stay in the country estate Amner Hall, part of Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, which the queen gifted to the royal couple as a wedding present in 2011. To commemorate their 10th wedding anniversary, Prince William shared a behind-the-scenes video of their life in Norfolk to Instagram on April 29, 2021. And last week, the palace shared photos for Prince Louis’ 4th birthday, also taken by the duchess.

Middleton is a talented photographer, but her kids sometimes get tired of all the pictures. Last summer, she told Ceri Edwards, “Everyone’s like, ‘Mummy, please stop taking photographs.’” Ah, kids! Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like Middleton has any intention of stopping. Her photos are such a sweet insight into their home life, and it’s so awesome to see her three kids growing up and developing their own personalities.

Happy birthday, Princess Charlotte!