How Princess Charlotte is the spitting image of her mother Kate Middleton: Throwback pictures show the pair's uncanny resemblance as young royal celebrates her 9th birthday

Royal fans have gushed over Princess Charlotte's resemblance to her mother as Kensington Palace released a photo of the young royal to mark her ninth birthday.  

Kate was back behind the camera this time, snapping an image of her daughter to mark her special day. 

With flowing blonde hair and a cheeky grin, Charlotte looked every inch the perfect Princess. 

Throwback images of the Princess of Wales, 42, through the ages show their resemblance even further. 

It's often thought that the young royal bears physical similarities to her 'Gan-Gan', the late Queen Elizabeth II or her father, Prince William.

However, when putting childhood images of Kate at the same age as her daughter side by side, the similarities are also unmistakable.

As Princess Charlotte turned nine on Thursday, FEMAIL takes a look at her through the ages and how she has grown to look like her mother with time (seen in 2018 after the christening service for her brother, Prince Louis). Right: Kate at the same age

Kensington Palace today released an image, taken by Kate, of Princess Charlotte to mark her ninth birthday

In one intimate family photograph, the Princess of Wales was snapped during a childhood adventure.

The mother-of-two was pictured climbing a rock at the age of three with a broad grin across her face.

When compared to an image of Charlotte at the age of three, wearing a blue and white print sundress after the christening service for her brother, Prince Louis, the mother-daughter duo look the spitting image of one another.

In celebration of her 30th birthday in 2012, Kensington Palace also released a childhood photograph of Kate while on holiday in Jerash, Jordan.

Now a brunette, the image showed Kate with blonde locks - strikingly similar to Charlotte's honey-hued tresses.

Kate, aged four, smiled with her father, Michael Middleton, and younger sister, Pippa Middleton.

The Middleton Family moved to Amman, Jordan, in 1984 for two and a half years, where Kate attended an English-language school.

Elsewhere, another intimate throwback image captured Kate at five years old. Compared to her daughter's fifth birthday portrait, their features, including their broad smile, are strikingly alike.

When side by side, Princess Charlotte and Kate look the spitting image of each other at the age of four 

It comes after Princess Charlotte paid a sweet tribute to her late great-grandmother as she beamed for a new portrait to mark her ninth birthday.

With flowing blonde hair and her cheeky grin, the young royal looked every inch 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 well enough to be up and about and taking photos, which is one of her passions, she made sure to include a nod to the late Queen Elizabeth II, by posing Charlotte alongside pale pink flowers named in Her Majesty's honour.

The Clematis Elizabeth blooms are one of the first plants named after the late monarch and start flowering June to coincide with Charlotte's birthday. 

The Wales's daughter also shares a special link to her 'Gan-Gan' because she shares a name with the late monarch.

Kate is seen at the age of four with her younger sister Pippa (centre) and father Michael in Jerash, Jordan

A slightly older comparison of Charlotte and Kate at the age of five shows the mother-daughter duo having similar features  

She was christened Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, after the late Queen and Prince Wiliam's late mother, in July 2015.  

It's the second time in recent weeks that Kate and William royals have broken with their long-held tradition for releasing their children's birthday portraits. 

Kensington Palace typically releases portraits of the Wales children early in the morning to mark their birthdays.

However, in a break from the usual protocol, the pair shared a snap of Prince Louis last Tuesday afternoon rather than at midnight on his birthday - as is customary with new royal portraits.

They also shared an unseen wedding photo to mark their 13th wedding anniversary. Many were wondering if the future King and Queen will share a new snap 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 10th March, was pulled by multiple photo agencies after it was revealed the image had been significantly edited.

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

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

The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte are snapped in 2023 at the royal box on day 14 of the 2023 Wimbledon Championship 

Princess Charlotte, taken at the Wales' Norfolk home Anmer Hall, was shared to mark the youngster turning seven. Royal watchers noted the resemblance to her father in this image

Earlier this year, the Princess of Wales detailed how the cancerous cells were discovered, while she was undergoing surgery for a different condition in January.

For their daughter's birthday last year, the couple released two images of a beaming Charlotte.

In one, she gave her mother a gap-toothed grin to mark the occasion. With her tousled dark hair and flushed cheeks, it seems that country life at the King's Berkshire estate, where the family moved to last summer, is agreeing with her.

In another, she was pictured in a blue-and-white striped jumper 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 photograph of Princess Charlotte ahead of her eighth birthday.'

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

They both have large, beaming smiles, which boast more than a passing family resemblance.

The year prior, as Charlotte celebrated turning seven, photos showing the youngster at the family's country home Anmer Hall in Norfolk were published.

The images show Charlotte laughing into the lens, as she wears a blue patterned blouse and jumper, and clutches a posy of freshly picked daisies.

Today's celebrations saw the Prince and Princess of Wales's Instagram comments filled with happy birthday wishes for their daughter.