OUT OF THE BLUE! Catherine Shares Never-Before-Seen Photo with Charlotte to Celebrate a Special Moment

Princess Charlotte in her 10th birthday portrait (L) and Kate Middleton (R) in Scotland April 29, 2025.Credit : The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram;Karwai Tang/WireImage

Princess Charlotte celebrated a big birthday on Friday, May 2, as she turned 10 years old. Her mom, Kate Middleton, marked the young royal’s milestone by capturing a photo of Charlotte sporting a camo jacket and grinning outdoors.

But, unlike previous royal birthday portraits, Charlotte’s had a key difference.

Notably, the photo was captured on an iPhone. Princess Kate took the photo herself during a visit to Cumbria in the northwest of England earlier this year, per SkyNews.

Prince William and Kate release annual birthday photos for each of their three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — but the couple has never used an iPhone to mark a birthday milestone for any of the young royals until now.

The Princess of Wales — who previously described herself as an “enthusiastic amateur photographer” — has been spotted using a variety of different cameras through the years. According to The Independent, the Fujifilm X-T3 is one of her favorites, and she was seen holding the camera in an image shared to promote the 2020 book Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation.

Princess Kate has also used Canon cameras, including to photograph Holocaust survivors with their grandchildren for a portrait exhibition.

Kate Middleton attends a photography workshop on June 25, 2019.

Before Charlotte’s May 2 birthday, William and Kate marked Louis’ 7th birthday on April 23 by sharing a new portrait taken by photographer Josh Shinner. In the snap, Prince William and Princess Kate’s youngest child smiles to show off his two missing front teeth.

William and Kate also released a video from behind the scenes of Louis’ birthday photoshoot, showing the young prince having fun posing for the camera.

Princess Charlotte in her 10th birthday portrait.The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram

Next up is Prince George’s birthday. Prince William and Princess Kate’s eldest son will turn 12 on July 22. Kate took a photo of George for his 11th birthday last year, sharing a black-and-white portrait of the young prince smiling while dressed in a sharp blazer and white shirt.

In a version of his portrait shared on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Instagram Stories, George sported a friendship-style bracelet — possibly linked to his evening out at Taylor Swift’s London concert in June 2024.

Princess Charlotte and Prince William were also in attendance at the Wembley Stadium show, where the three royals snapped a selfie with the singer and also met her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who praised “superstar” Charlotte as “the highlight” of the night on his New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce podcast.