Royals British Royal Family Princess Charlotte Celebrates Her 8th Birthday with New Portrait — Taken by Mom Kate Middleton! Kate Middleton and Prince William's daughter is growing up! By Simon Perry Simon Perry Simon Perry is a writer and correspondent at PEOPLE. He has more than 25 years’ experience at PEOPLE covering the royals, human interest and celebrity. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 1, 2023 05:38PM EDT Princess Charlotte. Photo: The Prince and Princess of Wales/Twitter Princess Charlotte is growing up! Proud parents Kate Middleton and Prince William released a new photo of the young princess to celebrate her 8th birthday on May 2. The close-up shot shows Princess Charlotte flashing a big smile for the camera while seemingly lounging in a hammock. She wore a summer dress from Trotters. The image was taken by Kate in Windsor this past weekend — keeping with the tradition of the Princess of Wales, who has described herself as an "enthusiastic amateur photographer," getting behind the camera for her three children's milestone moments. "The Prince and Princess of Wales are delighted to share a new photograph of Princess Charlotte ahead of her eighth birthday tomorrow," the palace said in a statement. The couple captioned the photo on Instagram, "Wishing Princess Charlotte a very happy birthday! 8 tomorrow," along with a red balloon and birthday cake emoji. Kate Middleton Celebrates U.K. Mother's Day with Sweet Post Featuring All 3 Kids — See the Photo! Princess Charlotte. The Prince and Princess of Wales/Twitter Last year for her 7th birthday, Kate and Prince William released three new snaps of their daughter. One portrait showed Princess Charlotte posing in a field of bluebells near the family's country home, Anmer Hall, while another featured the princess hugging the family's dog, Orla. This year, Princess Charlotte's birthday week will be a busy one. She is is expected to join her parents, 9-year-old brother Prince George and possibly 5-year-old brother Prince Louis for the coronation on Saturday that will see their grandfather King Charles crowned at Westminster Abbey. But there are days of preparation and rehearsals ahead. Last week, Princess Kate, 41, told well-wishers in Wales that she had to get some "wardrobe done" — and no doubt that involves Princess Charlotte and her siblings too. At the crowning ceremony on May 6, Princess Charlotte may watch as her dad Prince William bows in homage to his father at a key moment just after the crowning. The Wales children are expected to take part in a carriage procession back to Buckingham Palace from Westminster Abbey following the service. They may also join King Charles, Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Royal Photographer Shares Trick for Taking Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis' Picture Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte. Karwai Tang/WireImage Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! The new photos of Princess Charlotte come just after other landmarks for the family. On Saturday, Prince William and Princess Kate marked their 12th wedding anniversary by releasing a new portrait, showing the couple cycling in Norfolk last summer. Late last month, the royal parents marked the 5th birthday of Princess Charlotte's little brother Prince Louis with two new snaps — breaking with tradition by issuing pictures taken by a professional photographer rather than by Kate. In fact, the Princess of Wales made a surprise cameo appearance in one of the two images, taking Prince Louis for a ride in a wheelbarrow.