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Princess Madeleine of Sweden has shared an adorable unseen snap of her daughter Leonore to mark her birthday.

Madeleine's eldest child, who is eighth in line to the Swedish throne, turns five today and is expected to celebrate the occasion in private with her family.

And her proud mother shared a photo of her daughter on Wednesday to commemorate the occasion.

The snap, which was taken by Madeleine herself, sees the sweet princess wearing a  pink sundress as she smiles at the camera.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden has shared an adorable unseen snap of her daughter Leonore to mark her fifth birthday

Madeleine, who took the photo herself, shared the snap on her personal Instagram account on Wednesday 

Captioning the image 36-year-old Madeleine wrote: 'Happy Birthday Leonore! Thank you for bringing us so much fun and happiness! ❤️U.'

The photo, which was shared on the mother's personal Instagram account this morning, has already amassed almost 18,000 likes, as well as thousands of comments wishing the royal a happy birthday.

Madeleine, whose full title is Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, moved from London to Miami, Florida with her young family last summer.

The Swedish royal household said in a statement at the time: 'The time and opportunity for the United States is good for the family when the children are still in pre-school age.

Madeleine, whose full title is Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, moved from London to Miami, Florida with her young family last summer. Pictured: Madeleine, Christopher O'Neil and their three children, Leonore, Nicolas and Adrienne at her christening 

Last month the mother-of-three announced that she had written her first children's book (pictured)

Announcing the news on Instagram on she wrote: 'I'm very excited to finally share with you a book which will hopefully show children how important it is to stand up for themselves and to tell someone when something doesn't feel right.'

'Princess Madeleine has a great commitment to children’s rights and will continue working with the World Childhood Foundation and, through the move, be able to focus more on the activities in the United States.'

The daughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf is married to Christopher O'Neill and the couple share three children - Princess Leonore, four, Prince Nicolas, three, and ten-month-old Princess Adrienne.

The royal's financier husband was born in London and has dual UK and US citizenship, with his work taking him between the United States and Europe.

Madeleine was living in New York City when she first met Chris, having famously fled to America in 2010 to escape a broken heart after her split from Swedish attorney Jonas Bergstrom.

Last month the mother-of-three announced that she had written her first children's book. 

The seventh-in-line to the Swedish throne is set to publish Stella och hemligheten (Stella and the Secret) in June in collaboration with her mother's charity, the World Childhood Foundation.

Announcing the news on Instagram on she wrote: 'I'm very excited to finally share with you a book which will hopefully show children how important it is to stand up for themselves and to tell someone when something doesn't feel right.'

Written under her maiden name, Madeleine Bernadotte, the book is published by Bonnier Carlsen and will mark the 20th anniversary of the World Childhood Foundation, launched by Queen Silvia in 1999.