Happy birthday, Princess Charlotte! See the darling photos of the growing royal

Princess Charlotte is now one year away from being a double-digit royal!

The young royal, daughter of Prince William and Princess Kate, turns 9 on May 2. The Prince and Princess of Wales celebrated the occasion by sharing a birthday portrait of Charlotte on their official Instagram page Thursday.

Charlotte wore a red cardigan over a blue sweater, a blue denim skirt and blue tights as she leaned against a fence covered in flowers. The 9-year-old donned a large smile as she posed for her mom behind the camera.

"Happy 9th Birthday, Princess Charlotte! 🎂Thank you for all of the kind messages today," the caption stated, along with photo credit to the Princess of Wales.

With her father Prince William first in line for the throne following the coronation of King Charles III, Charlotte is third in line with her older brother Prince George, 10, ahead of her and younger brother Prince Louis, 6, behind her.

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As she's gotten older, Charlotte has stepped more into the royal spotlight.

She made a fashionable splash at the coronation of grandfather King Charles III last May when she wore an Alexander McQueen dress and cape in ivory silk crepe with ivory satin stitch embroidery featuring rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock motifs. She topped off the look with a sparkly headpiece by Jess Collett x Alexander McQueen.

The princess also shares her father's love of soccer. In July 2022, Charlotte and William took to X to wish the England women's national football team, aka the Lionesses, good luck before its match against Germany in the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 tournament.

Seated next to her father in a navy blue, polka-dotted top, Charlotte sweetly encouraged the team. "Good luck. I hope you win," she said.

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During a visit with the team at St. George's Park the previous month, Prince William told the players that Charlotte was a "budding star for the future."

The princess's birthday comes amid a pair of health crises for the British royal family. In February, it was revealed her grandfather King Charles III had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer after receiving treatment for a "benign prostate enlargement."

Meanwhile, Charlotte's mother Princess Kate announced her own cancer diagnosis in March after previously undergoing "major abdominal surgery."

Contributing: Naledi Ushe, David Oliver, Kelly Lawler and Pamela Avila, USA TODAY