Princess Charlotte looks ‘assertive and elegant’ in new picture taken by Kate to mark her ninth birthday, body language expert claims

Princess Charlotte celebrates her ninth birthday today with a special photo taken by her mother, the Princess of Wales.

In the photo released this morning, Charlotte shows off her cheeky grin and wavy blonde hair, making her look every bit the perfect princess.

The young royal was snapped by her mother leaning on a fence next to pale pink flowers.

In conversation with FEMAIL, Body language expert Judi James pointed out subtle signs in the photo that show Charlotte’s ‘confidence’ as she turns nine.

Judi said previous photos for Charlotte’s birthday showed the princess looking ‘cute and playful’, but now she is showing off her unique personality and looking more ‘assertive’.

Judi said: ‘This is such a breathtakingly relaxed and confident pose from a very mature looking Charlotte, who has swapped all the cuteness and playfulness of her previous birthday poses for something more assertive and elegant.’

Looking closely at Charlotte’s attitude, Judi said there were several signs that prove Kate and William’s middle child is coming into her own as she gets older.

She continued: ‘Her angle at which she leans and the way she has one arm hooked over the high wall suggests that she now likes to strike her own poses to show off her individual personality.

‘This comes with a tilt of the head to indicate sympathy and a smile that has added notes of warmth and empathy.

‘There is no sign of body scrunching or barriers to suggest shyness, and the raised arm forms a naked gesture that would again be a sign of that good level of self-confidence here.’

And the young royal looked every bit the perfect princess, wearing a £42 raspberry wool cardigan from Parisian brand Cyrillus, teamed with a denim skirt from the same brand.

In a positive sign that Kate is feeling well enough to be out and about taking photos, which is one of her passions, she made sure to include a nod to the late Queen Elizabeth II by posing Charlotte next to pale pink flowers mentioned in the photo of Her Majesty. honor.

Her parents wrote on Twitter: “Happy 9th birthday, Princess Charlotte!”

The Clematis Elizabeth flowers are one of the first plants named after the late monarch and begin blooming in June to coincide with Charlotte’s birthday.

Wales’ daughter also has a special bond with her ‘Gan-Gan’ as she shares a name with the late monarch.

She was baptized Charlotte Elizabeth Diana in July 2015, after the late mother of the late Queen and Prince Wiliam.

It’s the second time in recent weeks that Kate and William Royals have broken with their long tradition of releasing birthday portraits of their children.

Kensington Palace usually releases portraits of the Welsh children early in the morning to mark their birthdays.

However, in a departure from usual protocol, the couple shared a photo of Prince Louis last Tuesday afternoon instead of at midnight on his birthday – as is customary for new royal portraits.

They also shared an unseen wedding photo to mark their 13th wedding anniversary. Many wondered whether the future king and queen will share a new photo of their only daughter, following the fallout from their Photoshop furore earlier this year.

A Mother’s Day portrait of Kate and her children, released on March 10, was pulled by multiple photo agencies after the image was found to have been significantly edited.

Less than two weeks later, Kate announced her cancer diagnosis in an emotional video and spoke of the need to protect her young family.

The Mail’s Rebecca English revealed that the couple had initially decided not to release one at all, given their recent calls for privacy at such an ‘unprecedented’ time for their family, but changed their minds as they wanted to thank fans for their kind wishes to Prince Louis.

Earlier this year, the Princess of Wales explained how the cancer cells were discovered as she underwent surgery for another condition in January.

For their daughter’s birthday last year, the couple released two photos of a radiant Charlotte.

In one shot, she gave her mother a gap-toothed grin to mark the occasion. With her tousled dark hair and rosy cheeks, it seems that country life on the King’s Berkshire estate, where the family moved last summer, agrees with her.

In another photo, she was pictured in a blue and white striped sweater from Boden as she snuggled up with the family’s beloved black cocker spaniel Orla.

Releasing the images, Kensington Palace said: ‘The Prince and Princess of Wales are delighted to share a new photo of Princess Charlotte, ahead of her eighth birthday.’

Many at the time noted her resemblance to her father, William. The father-daughter duo appear to share some similar facial features, including their eyes and nose, and expressions.

They both have big, bright smiles, which have more than a passing family resemblance.

The year before, as Charlotte celebrated turning seven, photos of the little boy at the family’s country home, Anmer Hall in Norfolk, were published.

The footage shows Charlotte smiling into the lens, wearing a blue patterned blouse and sweater and holding a bouquet of freshly picked daisies.

During today’s celebration, the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Instagram comments were filled with happy birthday wishes for their daughter, as they once again noted her resemblance to William.