Princess Charlotte Says the Cutest Thing When She’s Asked Her Age

Princess Charlotte, called Lottie by her family, just turned six, but she’s already feeling as responsible and independent as a girl a decade older. According to her father, William, the Duke of Cambridge, the young royal will confidently answer “16” when asked her age. 

“Charlotte says, ‘I’m six now, I’ll do what I want,’” Prince William mentioned at a recent engagement, according to the Daily Mail. Honestly, Charlotte? Go off. You are a tiny princess and you should be allowed to do what you like. Especially on your birthday!

Prince William revealed that last year, when the country was under a lockdown due to the pandemic, Princess Charlotte’s fifth birthday couldn’t be celebrated with a party. This year, as restrictions start to ease up, the family was able to have one other family over (this is in line with current U.K. guidelines) to celebrate. As Prince William put it, “It wasn’t a party as such, but we made it as fun for her as possible.”

Though Princess Charlotte’s not 16 yet, she will be soon enough, and Prince William remarked, “They grow up very fast.” It’s true. Princess Charlotte recently started in-person classes at St. Thomas Battersea with her big brother, Prince George, and she’s already come up with her first royal catchphrase: I’ll do what I want. Slap it on a bumper sticker and engrave it on a tiara.

For independent Princess Charlotte’s birthday, the palace released a sweet portrait taken by Kate Middleton, in which the young princess looks quite a bit like her dad. In fact, Prince William has even mixed up their baby pictures before. 

In April, Prince Louis also celebrated a big birthday—he turned three. Even though it seems like he was born literally yesterday, time did not stop to accommodate the pandemic, and kids keep getting older. One of these days we are going to blink and Princess Charlotte actually will be 16. And doing what she wants!