Princess Kate and Prince William set to follow 'new procedure' with Princess Charlotte

However, they broke tradition by not releasing the image to the media the night before, instead choosing to bypass all photo agencies and share it on their own social media channels.

This was likely due to the controversy that surrounded Princess Kate last month on Mother's Day, where she admitted to "editing" their new family photo.

​This picture was pulled by Getty Images, the Press Association, Reuters and other international photo agencies.

Kate, 42, later took to social media to apologise for the "confusion" caused by the digital manipulation.

Traditionally, Kate and Prince William share new pictures of their children the night before their birthdays with the media.

However, insiders claimed to The Times that the "new procedure" of posting directly on their social media channels will continue next month for Princess Charlotte's birthday.

Charlotte, the middle child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, will turn nine on May 2.

Meanwhile, their eldest child and heir to the throne, Prince George, will turn 11 on July 22.

If Kate and William continue their "new procedure with Charlotte", it is likely this will occur with George too.

It is understood that the Wales family were debating when to release Prince Louis' birthday picture as Kate is currently undergoing cancer treatment.

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The family initially asked for privacy during Kate’s recovery.

However, William and Kate decided to release an image of Louis to thank those who sent birthday wishes.

The three Wales children all attend Lambrook School in Windsor, near their home Adelaide Cottage.

Princess Kate is focusing on her recovery before making a return to royal duties.