Yahoo News Princess Charlotte Stars in a Bonus 8th Birthday Portrait — with a Cameo from Family's Dog Orla!
Kate Middleton and Prince William surprised royal watches with a second birthday photo of their daughter — and this time, Princess Kate wasn't behind the camera
Surprise! The royals have shared a second birthday portrait in honor of Princess Charlotte turning 8 — and she has a sweet companion by her side.
After Kate Middleton and Prince William released a new portrait of their daughter ahead of her birthday on Monday evening, they shared a second photo on Tuesday to thank well-wishers for their messages. In the new image, taken by photographer Millie Pilkington, Princess Charlotte gives the camera a big smile while hugging the family dog, a cocker spaniel named Orla, in a field of flowers.
"Thank you for all the birthday wishes," the Prince and Princess of Wales' official Twitter and Instagram accounts captioned the snap.
This isn't the first time that Orla made a cameo in one of Princess Charlotte's birthday portraits. Last year for her 7th birthday, Prince William and Kate released three pictures of their daughter to celebrate the occasion, including a similar shot featuring the pup.
Related:King Charles Celebrates Granddaughter Princess Charlotte's 8th Birthday with Sweet Message
Prince William, 40, and Princess Kate, 41, received Orla from Kate's younger brother James Middleton. In May 2020, James announced that his dog Luna had welcomed "six healthy little pups." He went on to share that he wouldn't be keeping the puppies himself as "they all have lovely homes waiting for them." In addition to Princess Charlotte's birthday photo appearances two years running, Orla joined Kate at one of Prince William's charity polo matches last year.
Orla, a Celtic name meaning "golden princess," joined the family shortly before their dog Lupo died in Nov. 2020.
Prince William and Kate first welcomed Lupo into their family back in 2012, about a year before the birth of their first son, Prince George. Years later, it was revealed that the royal couple got their pet to help them at a difficult time when William was about to head to the Falkland Islands for a six-week-long deployment.
Lupo had previously starred in several family photos, including an early photo of George, now 9, with his parents.
While Kate, 41, often gets behind the camera for her three children's birthday portraits — she's previously described herself as an "enthusiastic amateur photographer" and is patron of the National Portrait Gallery — Pilkington was also credited with two photos released to celebrate Prince Louis' 5th birthday last month.
In fact, the Princess of Wales made a surprise appearance in one photo, pushing the birthday boy around in a wheelbarrow while he smiled and held onto the sides.
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Kate was the photographer for Princess Charlotte's birthday portrait released on Monday, with credits for the picture going to "The Princess" on the royal's social media pages.
The snapshot, taken over the weekend, showed Princess Charlotte lounging in a hammock.
King Charles and Queen Camilla's official social media pages also shared the new shot of Princess Charlotte, wishing her a happy birthday with a cute message on Tuesday.
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