Princess Charlotte looks exactly like Prince William in unseen birthday portrait

A 'happy birthday' is in order for Princess Charlotte who turns eight today! To celebrate the occasion, the Prince and Princess of Wales took to their official Instagram page to share a previously unseen portrait of the young royal.

In the photo – which was taken by Kate Middleton – Charlotte wears a white, floral dress and beams at the camera. "Wishing Princess Charlotte a very happy birthday! 8 tomorrow," the caption read, along with a photo credit to "The Princess".

Unsurprisingly, the portrait went down a royal treat, racking up over half a million likes and plenty of comments – many of them pointing out how similar Charlotte looks to her father.

"Looks just like her dad!" one royal fan commented on the post, as someone else said: "Looks so much like her dad in this shot!! Just beautiful."

"So like her dad in this photo!" another person responded, as a fourth fan added: "She's so beautiful and looks a lot like her dad."

Over the weekend the young royal enjoyed a special – and secret – day out with her mum to mark her birthday. Both Princess Charlotte and the Princess of Wales were spotted by royal fans at a ballet performance, and they took to the stage at the end of the show for a photo opportunity.

"First visit to @TheRoyalOpera in @CoventGardenLDN to see #Cinderella. Wonderful ballet with fabulous performances by a great cast. And who should be in the audience? The Princess of Wales with Princess Charlotte and her friends," a spectator tweeted after seeing the royal pair.

Later this week there'll be even more to celebrate too, with King Charles III's coronation taking place on Saturday 6 May.

Head here for everything you need to know about King Charles III's coronation...

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