As is the case with the Royal children every year, a sweet photograph of Princess Charlotte has today been released to mark the youngster's ninth birthday.
The Prince and Princess of Wales shared the heartwarming image on their official social media accounts earlier this morning (2 May), revealing that amateur photographer, mum Kate Middleton, had taken the picture.
What many fans of the monarchy may not yet have realised, however, is that the mother-of-three Kate actually broke Royal protocol in this particular instance.
She also did the same last week, following the release of her youngest Prince Louis' birthday snap as he celebrated turning six.
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News of Kate's latest photographing antics comes just weeks after the 42-year-old's representatives were forced to apologise after being 'caught out' for editing photos of her children.
Amid speculation over her wellbeing after she failed to make a public appearance for several months earlier this year - prior to her emotional cancer treatment announcement - numerous photography and computing agencies accused Kensington Palace of doctoring the snaps, including one from Mother's Day.
It later emerged that that wasn't the only picture to have been photoshopped, with a 2022 photo Kate captured of the late Queen and her grandchildren in Balmoral, was also found to have been digitally altered.
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Kate was subsequently forced to respond to the speculation from followers of her formerly 'suspicious disappearance' in a statement, in which she apologised for the 'confusion' the edited image had caused.
This week - a month after Kate finally put a stop to online conjecture by revealing that she'd been diagnosed with and was being treated for cancer - the Princess has inadvertently set tongues wagging again by breaking Royal protocol with another photograph she has taken.
Don't worry, though, royalists. It's not as dramatic as the last Photoshopping fiasco.
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It turns out that the only regulation Kate broke this time around centred on when the image was released, being that Princess Charlotte's birthday snap was only posted at around 10am.
Usually, however, the Royal children's celebratory photos go to press around midnight the evening prior.
Kate also delayed the release of Prince Louis' birthday image until the afternoon of, on 23 April.
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According to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, the postponed releases may be indicative of conversations going on behind the scenes, following the 'furor' of Kate's edited Mother's Day snaps.
Speaking to the Express, he added that the timing may 'emphasise Kate's need for time, space and privacy.'
Topics: Kate Middleton, Royal Family, Celebrity
Rhianna Benson