Happy Birthday, Princess Charlotte! All About Kate Middleton and Prince William's 9-Year-Old Daughter

Princess Charlotte turned 9 years old on May 2, 2024

Kate Middleton and Prince William are raising a little princess.

The pair welcomed their second child and only daughter, Princess Charlotte, on May 2, 2015. “She has been a little joy of heaven,” William told the BBC after Charlotte’s birth.

"It's very special having a new little girl,” Kate shared in the ITV documentary Our Queen at Ninety the following year. “I feel very, very lucky that George has got a little sister. The Queen was really thrilled that it was a little girl, and I think as soon as we came back here to Kensington, she was one of our first visitors here."

From the day she was born, Princess Charlotte — who is currently third in line to the British throne — has been one of the most famous children in the world. She joined her parents at royal engagements from a young age, including when they brought her on a weeklong tour of Canada when she was 16 months old. She has also been front and center at some of the family’s most important events, including her grandfather King Charles' coronation ceremony and Queen Elizabeth's state funeral.

Related: Prince William and Kate Middleton's 3 Kids: All About George, Charlotte and Louis

Despite being in the public eye, the family retreats to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, where the Prince and Princess of Wales are raising their three children to have as much of a down-to-earth upbringing as possible.

“She wants to emulate her upbringing, living in the countryside with a close-knit family,” a friend of Kate told PEOPLE in 2019. “She desperately wants that normality for her own kids.”

As the family navigates Kate's recent cancer diagnosis, William has said he, Kate and the kids are doing "well."

"We're all doing well, thank you," the Prince of Wales told well-wishers during a royal engagement on April 30, just two days before Charlotte's 9th birthday.

From her favorite hobbies to how she has made history, here is everything to know about Prince William and Kate Middleton’s daughter, Princess Charlotte.

She was born on May 2, 2015, in London

The future Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed their daughter on May 2, 2015, at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. She was born at 8:34 a.m. local time and weighed 8 lbs., 3 oz.

In a royal first, Kensington Palace announced Princess Charlotte's arrival on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a daughter at 8.34 a.m. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.”

Still, Buckingham Palace kept with tradition by posting the official birth announcement on an easel near the palace gates for the public to view.

Shortly after her birth, Prince William picked Prince George up from home, where he was with their nanny Maria Borrallo, and brought him to the hospital to meet his new sister. Later that day, Charlotte made her first public appearance when William and Kate stepped out from the hospital’s Lindo Wing to introduce her to the world.

Her name holds special significance

Two days after Charlotte's arrival, the palace revealed the princess’s full name. “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. The baby will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge,” a statement read.

Her middle names are a nod to her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth and late grandmother Princess Diana. Charlotte is also the feminine version of Charles, after her grandfather King Charles.

Steeped in significance, Elizabeth is also the middle name for several royal family members, including Lady Louise, Princess Anne and Princess Beatrice. Charlotte shares the middle name Diana with her cousin, Princess Lilibet.

She often matches her mom

As one of the most photographed mother-daughter duos in the world, Princess Kate and Princess Charlotte always look picture-perfect when stepping out together. The pair have coordinated their ensembles since Charlotte was born, starting with her christening when she was just 2 months old.

They popped in pink for the 2017 Trooping the Colour celebration when Charlotte was 2 years old, donned matching burgundy peacoats for the 2022 Royal Carols: Together at Christmas concert at Westminster Abbey, twinned in blue dresses for Easter Sunday service in 2023 and wore similar accessories for King Charles’ coronation.

Both Kate and Charlotte’s wardrobes have a history of selling out after they're seen sporting them too.

When Charlotte’s 6th birthday portrait — taken by Kate — was released, her floral dress by children’s designer Rachel Riley sold out within 12 hours, making it the fastest-selling item in the brand’s history.

She loves horses

Princess Charlotte and her late great-grandmother found commonality in their love for horses. Queen Elizabeth owned dozens of horses throughout her lifetime and was an avid breeder and rider, seen in the saddle well into her 90s.

Before her death in September 2022, the Queen gifted the young royal a diamond horseshoe brooch, which Charlotte wore to the late monarch’s funeral.

All three of William and Kate’s children have taken up horseback riding — a long-standing royal family tradition — and according to The Times, William is “thrilled.”

While attending an event to meet and honor British Olympians at Buckingham Palace in October 2016, Paralympic equestrian Natasha Baker said Kate "emphasized that Charlotte has this passion about horses and although she doesn't echo it, she'll do her best to champion and encourage it."

She attends private school with her brothers

In 2019, Charlotte joined her older brother George at Thomas’s Battersea, a private school three miles from their then-home, Kensington Palace in London.

Following a 2022 move to Adelaide Cottage, all three children enrolled at the Lambrook School.

"Their Royal Highnesses are hugely grateful to Thomas's Battersea where George and Charlotte have had a happy start to their education since 2017 and 2019 respectively and are pleased to have found a school for all three of their children which shares a similar ethos and values," the royal couple said in a press release.

Known to be one of the top prep schools in the U.K., Lambrook not only provides excellent academics but also sports, drama, music, an indoor pool, a full-size AstroTurf soccer field and a golf course. The kids also have access to horse riding, fencing, scuba diving and polo clubs.

She made history in the line of succession to the British throne

When her younger brother Prince Louis was born in 2018, Princess Charlotte made history by being the first female to keep her spot in the line of succession to the British throne after the arrival of a younger brother.

The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 ended male-preference primogeniture, which put male heirs above their female siblings in the line of succession. The legislation was passed when Kate was pregnant with George and applies to royal children born after Oct. 28, 2011.

Related: Who Is the Next Heir to the Throne? See the Complete British Line of Succession

She has multiple nicknames

When William and Kate embarked on a two-day trip to Northern Ireland in 2019, Belfast-based blogger Laura-Ann brought her son to Windsor Park stadium in hopes of catching a glimpse of the royal couple.

The blogger spoke with the Princess of Wales and recalled her encounter on Instagram Stories, where she also shared footage of the royal meeting her son, also named George.

Laura-Ann revealed that Kate asked her how old her other son was. “And I said he is 4 and she said, ‘Oh, he’s the same age as Lottie’ — she calls her Lottie!” the blogger shared.

Lottie is just one nickname for Charlotte. During a last-minute Christmas shopping trip, an onlooker heard Kate say, “Get up, poppet,” to Charlotte as she sat on the floor near her brother, George.

She keeps her brothers in line

Charlotte takes her royal role very seriously. During Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022, Charlotte reminded George to bow when their great-grandmother’s coffin passed by at Wellington Arch.

She also helps keep her younger brother, Louis, in line. William and Kate’s youngest child has made headlines over the years for stealing the show at several historic events, including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee pageant, where he covered his eyes and stuck his tongue out at Kate.

To help things run smoothly during King Charles’ coronation ceremony, Charlotte entered Westminster Abbey holding Louis’ hand and sat next to him during the service.

William and Kate made a surprise appearance the day after the coronation along the Long Walk outside Windsor Castle, where William addressed his daughter’s whereabouts.

"She's very tired after yesterday," he said, according to Hello! magazine. "She's having a quiet day at home. It was making sure her little brother behaved himself."

Related: All About Prince Louis, Kate Middleton and Prince William’s 6-Year-Old Son

She is a fan of the arts

William and Kate have shared glimpses into their children’s hobbies and interests over the years. In 2022, while touring Wales as part of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, Kate shared that Charlotte enjoyed music and had been practicing the piano.

Charlotte — who joined her parents and older brother on tour — leaned into her musical interests and tried her hand at leading the band during a concert rehearsal at Cardiff Castle. She conducted the orchestra as it played “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the hit song from Disney’s Encanto.

She was also spotted singing and dancing alongside George during the King’s coronation concert, where Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and the band Take That performed.

She plays multiple sports

Princess Charlotte is a natural-born athlete like her parents. While visiting England’s soccer team, the Lionesses, as they trained for the UEFA Women's Euro 2022, Prince William revealed that his daughter enjoyed playing soccer.

"Charlotte wanted me to tell you that she is really good at goal," he said, according to Hello! magazine. "She said, 'Please tell them that.' She's a budding star for the future."

She also plays rugby, according to her mom, who mentioned her interest in the sport during a pre-event reception for the Wales vs. England Six Nations rugby match in 2023.

But at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Charlotte revealed that gymnastics is what really makes her flip with excitement.

"While they're trying lots of different sports at home, I understand, when I asked her about sport she answered very easily and said, 'It's gymnastics that I like,' " said Sports Aid CEO Tim Lawler, according to Hello!.

Kate added that "Charlotte spends most of her time upside-down, doing handstands and cartwheels," according to Daily Mail.

She enjoys cooking

The kids helped prepare a meal for the 2018 Commonwealth Big Lunch — an initiative that encourages people to sit down to a meal with members of their community once a year — which was also Kate’s last public outing before giving birth to Louis. The Princess of Wales shared that George and Charlotte enjoyed helping out in the kitchen.

“I’ve done that with George and Charlotte — making pizza dough. They love it because they can get their hands messy,” Kate said, according to Hello! magazine.

While visiting the Lavender Primary School in support of Children’s Mental Health Week, Kate told the students that Charlotte “loves olives” and identified one of her kids’ favorite dishes to make.

“She was telling us how much her children love cooking and how they cook for her,” Matthew Kleiner-Mann, chief executive of the Ivy Learning Trust, told reporters. “They made cheesy pasta the other day. One stirs the flour, one puts the milk and butter in.”

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