Meghan Markle, Prince Harry send sweet birthday message to Princess Charlotte

Princess Charlotte turned four years old on Thursday, and she got a special birthday greeting from her aunt and uncle.

Meghan Markle — who is due to give birth any day now — and Prince Harry left a personalized message for their niece on Instagram under the photos that Kensington Palace shared ahead of Charlotte’s big day. The well-wishes were posted from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s official Instagram account, and included a cake and balloon emoji.

“Happy Birthday Charlotte!” Markle and Prince Harry wrote next to the emojis. “Lots of love, H and M xo.”

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Kensington Palace shared three new photos of Charlotte, taken by mom Kate Middleton, on both Twitter and Instagram. On Instagram, the palace thanked everyone for their “lovely” birthday messages.

The portraits of the princess were taken at the family’s home in Norfolk, and show Charlotte playing with a flower in the garden and perched on a fence.

The royal photos come weeks after Prince Louis’ first birthday portraits, which were also taken by Middleton.

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Markle and Prince Harry weren’t the only ones to wish Charlotte a happy birthday. Fans of the Royal Family left messages congratulating the princess and commenting on how much she looks like her great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

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“She looks EXACTLY like the Queen and definitely way more like William than Kate,” one person tweeted.

“I love how she looks like her great grandmother. So precious!” tweeted another.

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Charlotte is the middle child of Middleton and Prince William, who are also parents to one-year-old Louis and five-year-old Prince George.

Charlotte will be first cousin to Markle and Prince Harry’s first child, who is expected to be born very soon.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have kept the sex and name of their child secret, but royal betters think the couple will welcome a girl.

Laura.Hensley@globalnews.ca