Kensington Palace has released a previously unseen snap of Princess Charlotte.

The picture which was taken by Charlotte's mother, The Duchess of Cambridge, was released via the official Kensington Palace Instagram account at the weekend. It features a close-up shot of the four-year-old and during her first podcast, Kate explained why this snap, in particular, is important to her. Kate joined Giovanna Fletcher for an episode of her podcast,  Happy Mum, Happy Baby, and spoke of her experience as a parent. The Duchess spoke about her ‘5 Big Questions on the Under 5s’ survey and how important the early years are, a topic she's been working on recently. According to Kensington Palace, the survey "aims to spark a national conversation on the early years that will ultimately help bring about positive, lasting change for generations to come". The mum of three said:

"I’ve got this one photo of Charlotte smelling a bluebell, and really for me it’s moments like that mean so much to me as a parent. "I try every day to put moments like that in, even if they’re small or even if I don’t have time".

Over the past few months, the 28-year-old has visited various childcare centres and communities to meet parents and children to discuss the importance of the early years. Kate is an advocate for children spending time outside and with nature, 'Back to Nature' was the theme of the garden she designed for the Chelsea Flower Show with the intention of recreating the magic of childhood. The garden now has a permanent home at Wisley Gardens near Woking, Surrey.