A smile that seems to want to ward off the health problems affecting the British royal family, after the cancer diagnosed in recent months by both King Charles III and Kate, wife of the heir to the throne William. It's the smile shown by Princess Charlottesecond daughter of the Princes of Wales, in the photo released on 2 May on the Kensington Palace X profile to celebrate her ninth birthday.
The image shows Charlotte in the park of the family residence, next to a flowering plant, wearing a denim skirt and a burgundy sweater, in her typical playful expression: an expression underlined at the time by her mother as a constant in her character, different from that “more thoughtful” attributed to the eldest and future heir to the throne George. The photo was taken, the court reports, by Kate herself “a few days ago”, having been undergoing chemotherapy since the end of February and absent from the public scene since Christmas 2023.
The Princess of Wales had taken a similar photograph in April for the sixth birthday of her third child, Prince Louis. And in that case the palace had taken care to ensure that the image had not been retouched: after the controversy and questions raised by the diffusion in March of a family portrait which was found to be 'tampered' – so much so that it was withdrawn from the media – in scope of a rather clumsy photoshop for which Kate had ultimately taken the blame, apologizing.
The relationship with Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth holds a special place in little Princess Charlotte's heart, even though she passed away over a year ago. The relationship between Charlotte and her great-grandmother was particularly close, as her queen saw in her the reflection and spirit of a future ruler, Charlotte being third in line to the throne. According to some British tabloid sources, the princess inherited many traits from her great-grandmother, including a passion for horses. Kate herself shared that “Charlotte loves horses” and that the Queen “did everything she could to support and encourage her, putting her on horses as early as 17 months old.”
The bond with the maternal grandmother
Kate also revealed that Charlotte has a strong bond with her maternal grandmother, Carol, mother of the Princess of Wales. They both share a great love for gardening. Carol highlighted the importance of raising children in contact with nature, stressing that “it is essential to allow them to… get a little dirty”, speaking in an amused tone.