Hidden allusion

Princess Charlotte celebrates her 9th birthday

Princess Charlotte is nine years old.

(Bild: The Prince and Princess of Wales/Kensington Palace)

Prince William and Princess Kate have released a new portrait of their only daughter for Princess Charlotte's ninth birthday on Thursday. In the picture, the princess beams at the camera with long hair and big teeth, with none other than her mother, the Princess of Wales, standing behind her. And she included a hidden allusion in the picture.

Charlotte is currently third in line to the British throne - after her father Prince William and her ten-year-old brother George. Her full name is Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Wales and is a tribute to her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana. 

Hidden allusion
With long, blonde hair, wearing a denim skirt, combined with a blue sweater and a wine-red cardigan, Charlotte posed next to a fence overgrown with pale pink flowers. She has placed one hand on the fence and is leaning casually against it.

What makes it so special is that the flowers are Clematis Elizabeth, one of the first plants to be named after the late monarch. These have now blossomed in time for Charlotte's birthday and it has been revealed that Princess Kate deliberately chose the backdrop as a hidden allusion to remember her children's beloved "Gan Gan".

The fact that the girl in the photo is also smiling so happily at the camera is also a relief for the British. 

"We're all doing well"
The Princess of Wales, who took the photo, has been undergoing chemotherapy since February after cancer cells were discovered in histological findings following her serious abdominal operation in January.

Prince William confirmed that the 42-year-old is doing well, that they are all doing well, during an appointment in Newcastle when he was asked about his wife.

"Can I ask you how your wife and children are?" a passer-by asked Prince William about his wife, who is suffering from cancer, according to the Daily Mail. The royal replied: "Everyone's fine, thank you. Yes, we're fine." 

13th wedding anniversary
On Monday, Prince William and Princess Kate celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary. On that day, the palace posted a wedding photo which, according to the British news agency PA, had never been published before. The two were married on April 29, 2011. 

The black and white picture by photographer Millie Pilkington shows William standing behind Kate in uniform and placing his hands on her wedding dress, she is holding a bouquet of flowers.

The couple were married in London's Westminster Abbey. Millions of people watched the ceremony on television.

No public dates, but photos of children
Kate announced before Easter that she had been diagnosed with cancer following an operation. She is receiving chemotherapy as a precaution and is currently not attending any public appointments.

In her video message, she also asked for privacy for herself and her family. Kate and William have three children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis (6). But, as has now been revealed, she is sticking to the fine tradition of taking her children's birthday photos herself and making them available to the public.

Despite the uproar and criticism after she edited this year's Mother's Day photo with a photo editing program, she returned to the tradition for the sixth birthday of her youngest son, Prince Louis.  

On April 23, the royal couple also published a photo taken by Kate, which shows Louis laughing, with a gap in his lower row of teeth, wearing shorts and lying on a picnic blanket in the grass.