As happy as one can bee in Norfolk, the smiling Princess of Wales is pictured tending her hives. 

Kensington Palace aides released the picture on Saturday to mark World Bee Day.

A tweet released with the picture said: "We are buzzing about #WorldBeeDay.

"Bees are a vital part of our ecosystem and today is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the essential role bees and other pollinators play in keeping people and the planet healthy."

READ MORE: King and Queen head to Norfolk after coronation

READ MORE: Hundreds pack street for coronation big lunch

The image, taken by Matt Porteous last summer, shows Kate togged up in beekeeping overalls, complete with gauze visor, as she tends a swarm in one of her hives in the grounds of Anmer Hall, near King's Lynn.

The 41-year-old royal looks at home as she collects honeycomb, which will be spun to extract the much-prized crop.

Bees are also kept at Buckingham Palace and Clarence House, enabling the Royal Family to be self-sufficient in honey.

When Queen Elizabeth II passed away last September, royal beekeeper John Chapple toured the hives, informing the bees of her death in a ceremony thought to date back centuries.