Kensington Palace released three photos of Princess Charlotte this afternoon to commemorate her fourth birthday.
And they’re lovely. 
The pictures were taken last month by the Duchess of Cambridge at the family’s country home, Anmer Hall, and at Kensington Palace. 
Many think Charlotte really takes after her father in the photos, while others believe she looks more like her mother or the Queen. (I hoped to be able to do some side-by-side comparisons, but I’ve not been able to locate any images I can license. I will keep searching.)
Charlotte has grown up so much in the last few months, and certainly since last year! 
It’s been a busy year for the Princess. In May she was a bridesmaid at her Uncle Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle. 
In June she attended her third Trooping the Colour.
And went to a charity polo match.
The pictures from that event were just terrific.
In July Charlotte went to her little brother’s christening. 
We saw Charlotte as a bridesmaid again at Princess Eugenie’s October wedding. Below you see her in the official photo from that event on the left, and on the right, one of the formal pictures from Harry and Meghan’s wedding.
Charlotte was in the official photos marking Prince Charles’s 70th birthday. 
A closer look. 
In December we saw another picture of Charlotte when the family’s Christmas card photo was released. 
What a difference a year makes. Below left, Charlotte in the 2018 picture, and on the right, in 2017’s Christmas card photo.
As you can see from the photos shared above, Charlotte was a busy bridesmaid! In May she was in her Uncle Harry’s wedding; in September she had that role at the wedding of Sophie Carter, one of her godmothers and also one of Kate’s closest friends; and in October we saw her in Princess Eugenie’s wedding. 
It won’t be long before the Princess is too big to be carried.
Now for our look at what Princess Charlotte wore in her birthday photos.
In two of the pictures she wears the Amaia Kids ‘Yarrow’ Tartan Skirt from the retailer’s autumn/winter 2017 collection.
The Princess is wearing a cardigan sweater that I haven’t yet identified. The sweater looks like it is wool or a wool blend, in grey with multicolored flecks.
The cardigan is worn over a navy turtleneck that I don’t believe we’ll be able to identify, as well as tights. UPDATE: In a comment, Alyssa wonders if Charlotte might be wearing the Girls Rollneck School Top ($16 – $19) from UK retailer John Lewis; we show it below left. The always-helpful Tiegan of The Cambridges website suggested Charlotte could be wearing the Chelsea Clothing Company Alex Rollneck ($14) as shown at Trotters, seen below right. She noted this is a unisex piece and could even be something George wore and passe don to Charlotte. Both are excellent possibilities.
Unfortunately, it will be difficult to identify this piece because we see so little of it, but perhaps Charlotte will wear it again. Thank you to Tiegan and Alyssa for the input!
In the photo where she is sitting on the grass Charlotte appears to be wearing a Trotters Betsy Dress from the Lily Rose collection ($94). 
The cotton poplin dress has puff sleeves, piping at the waistband, and hand-stitching on the Peter Pan collar. It is fully lined. 
It looks like the Princess was in another pair of the Hampton Canvas ‘Plum’ style shoe in navy ($35). You’ll see Charlotte wearing the style in the photo above from last June’s polo match. 
Trotters notes in the product description the shoes can run small; they recommend buying one size up. The style is also available for adults! The style is offered in different colors and patterns, including Charlotte’s dress print, and a ‘Pink Mitzi’ colorway. 
We’re sure to see even more pictures of the Princess in the months ahead, with Trooping the Colour in June and her first day of school at Thomas’s Battersea, where she is expected to join Prince George this fall. Below, Charlotte in one of my favorite photos from the May royal wedding. 
Charlotte always looks so vibrant and happy ❤️ I wanted to share an affordable dupe for her Trotters canvas shoes in case others are interested — the LNGRY children canvas shoe, which is just $9 (including shipping) on Amazon. My little boy has been wearing them for about 8 months now and loves them!
Thank you for the tip, Molly! ?
Hello, hope you’re doing great. I love your website. It has been suggested to me that the princess may be wearing the following dress by Irulea:
https://irulea.com/Baby's-clothes/-dresses,-jackets-./Vestido+estampado+Ref:54951…105.00+€–1430
At first I thought it was the Amaia skirt as well… If you look at the patterns and stripes… They look more like Irulea, or am I wrong? She is wearing a turtleneck over it. It would make sense more for her to be wearing the skirt.
Let me know what you think!
Thank you. xx
Hi, Gene, and thank you for commenting! The Irulea fabric is the same as that used for the Amaia pieces. Initially several of us thought it was the Irulea dress, but Monique Jessen of People confirmed it was the Amaia garment.?
I noticed towards the end of your post that you say Charlotte will be attending Thomas’ Battersea along with George… Has the palace officially announced this or is that just a guess? Wonderful post as always. Thanks!!
I’m so glad you asked about this because I meant to say “is expected to go” when writing the post but I did not phrase it that way. This nudged me to correct things; thank you! 🙂
Oh my, Charlotte looks so grown-up! Chubby cheeks are a thing of the past and she’s turning into a real beauty ❤❤
Brilliant IDs, great to get another look at the tartan skirt and admire it’s sensible straps to keep everything in place whether climbing a fence or running with a daffodil.
Love the coloured flecks in the grey cardigan and despite the fact that it’s a repeat style for Charlotte I love the little dress, the floral print is nicely stylised and fresh, and neatly offset with a sharp white collar.
And I have as of now succumbed to temptation and ordered myself a pair of the Hampton canvas pumps in grey ? #keepingupwithcharlotte
Excellent!! Cannot wait to hear how you like them!!! 🙂
Hampton pumps are here and are sheer heaven to wear! Love them and considering ordering a second pair in another colour — a very Kate thing to do! I failed to see the bit about ordering a size up because the fit is tight until after I’d placed my order, but it’s turned out ok as my feet are happiest in a size 3.5, which I rarely find, so I’m ok with this size 4. But for anyone else, the fit is tight though I suppose canvas is going to give a little before long. Thanks for providing the link here!
https://www.johnlewis.com/girls%27-roll-neck-school-top-navy/p117205?sku=230964316&s_kwcid=2dx92700036548116885&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwh6XmBRDRARIsAKNInDFu-az_0_6XekcA2Lnabi0mqdRlJjzFWpTTR4b1tti3JlqqKtoqWo4aApA3EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Could this be her turtleneck? Also I -believe- she’s wearing the Amaia plain knit tights
Thank you for the suggestion, Alyssa! It certainly could be that piece, it’s difficult to tell without seeing more of it. ?
Oh, she is all William, but with Kate’s hair colour. Lovely pictures!
Thanks for the Year in Review 🙂
I agree Jessica – she is so much like William!
Just beautiful! Princess Charlotte looks darling.
Just pointing out that the wedding picture showing Princess Charlotte and Prince George (toward the beginning of your post) is labeled as being from Harry and Meghan’s wedding. It is actually from Princess Eugenie’s wedding, as you can see the difference in the floral wreath and the length of the sleeves.
Thanks for a wonderful post!
Thank you for letting me know, argh! 🙂