Prince William & Kate Celebrated Princess Charlotte's Birthday With 5 New Photos

It may be Princess Charlotte's fifth birthday, but the royal family wants everyone to know that they're still thinking about those who are in need during this difficult time. The royals released brand new, adorable photos of Princess Charlotte ahead of her fifth birthday on May 2, that show off just how much Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge's middle child has grown over the years.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to share four new photographs of Princess Charlotte ahead of her fifth birthday tomorrow," a post shared on the official Kensington Palace Instagram account was captioned. In the first photo — which, like the others, was taken by the Duchess of Cambridge in April — Charlotte poses for the camera with a smile and crossed arms, wearing a ruffled, houndstooth-printed dress.

In addition to celebrating her big day, the snaps also highlight the royal family's efforts to help those who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. "The images were taken ... as the family helped to pack up and deliver food packages for isolated pensioners in the local area," the caption continues. In the following three photos, Charlotte helps pack boxes with blue bags of food, and even walks up to someone's front door, reaching up to knock while holding a package of pasta in one hand.

Charlotte's grandparents, Prince Charles and the Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, also posted her new portrait on the Clarence House account, where they shared their own birthday wishes for the now 5-year-old. "Wishing Princess Charlotte a very Happy Birthday — five today!" the photo was captioned.

Likewise, the official Royal Family Instagram account also shared the photo, alongside a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They also included two other older photos of Charlotte; one from Princess Eugenie's wedding in 2018 and another from Trooping the Colour celebrations in 2017.

On May 2, the duke and duchess shared another portrait of Princess Charlotte, this time holding a bag of pasta and looking away from the camera, to thank everyone for their kind words and birthday wishes. "Thank you for all your lovely messages on Princess Charlotte’s fifth birthday!" they captioned the post, adding that William and Kate were "delighted" to share the sweet photo with everyone.

In addition to donating food to seniors in need and sharing plenty of gratitude and support for health workers on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic, Charlotte is likely enjoying activities and home school lessons alongside her brothers, George and Louis, while the royal family is quarantined. "It's just having that bit of structure, actually," Kate told the BBC in a recent interview about homeschooling the kids during lockdown. "It's great, there are so many great tips online and fun activities that you can do with the children so it hasn't been all hardcore."

In addition to lessons and activities, Kate and William have also made time for the children to stay connected with their family despite the distance. "It's quite hectic for them all to say the right thing at the right time without pressing buttons," Kate explained, "but it's great and it's nice to keep in touch with everybody."