Princess Charlotte turns nine today! [It has truly been nine years since Princess Kate and Prince William unveiled their little bundle of joy 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 once again released an exclusive photo of the birthday girl, taken by Kate herself. In the photo, Charlotte is leaning against a hedge, standing in a garden surrounded by flowers, smiling broadly for the camera. She is wearing shades of red and blue, and her dark blonde hair has grown long. She also looks more like Prince William than ever.

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

"Thanks for all the kind messages today.

"[Photo] Princess of Wales."

"William said copy and paste.

Photographer Millie Pilkington, who is often asked by the Welsh to take family photos, said, "Happy birthday to our dear Princess Charlotte. Beautiful photos taken by your very talented mother. Have a wonderful day!"

This year, it was questioned whether Kate would shoot Prince Louis' official birthday photos, which will be shared on April 23, after the Photoshop drama of editing Mother's Day photos posted by the family in March.

In fact, the mother-of-six took a photo of Prince Louis, so there seemed little doubt that she would also take a photo of Charlotte when Charlotte's birthday approached. Result