Her Royal Cuteness! Princess Charlotte has started her first day of nursery and to commemorate the big day, Kensington Palace has released an adorable portrait. The photo, which was taken by Charlotte's mother the Duchess of Cambridge, shows the youngster wrapped up in red Amaia kids Razorbil coat and a pink scarf as she smiles tentatively at the camera. The little royal wore a matching burgundy bow in her hair and a pink backpack. Kensington Palace wrote in a statement: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to share two photographs of Princess Charlotte at Kensington Palace this morning.The images were taken by The Duchess shortly before Princess Charlotte left for her first day of nursery at the Willcocks Nursery School."
Princess Charlotte smiled for the camera
Charlotte, who turns three in May, is a full-time pupil at Willcocks Nursery School. Last month, the palace revealed that she would start nursery in January. A statement explained that Prince William and Kate had chosen the school because "they felt it was ideal as a first step for Princess Charlotte's early education and they were impressed by the team that work there". The £14,500-a-year school is owned and run by headmistress Lavinia Taylor. In 2015, Tatler described the nursery as a "hidden gem" in Kensington, attended by children of "old English families and chic foreigners". The magazine added: "Kindness is evident everywhere, plus the nursery is a cooperative, so you know staff are in it for the long haul."
The Duchess of Cambridge took the portraits
According to its website, Willcocks is a "traditional nursery school which strives to maintain its ethos for high standards, excellence and good manners".Group activities include poetry, singing, acting and jigsaw-making, while 'circle time', which involves prayer and hymns, also takes place every day.
Why this is a big week for Princess Charlotte
The nursery is conveniently located just ten minutes away by car from Charlotte's home, Kensington Palace. It's based in the hall of Holy Trinity Church, next door to the Royal Albert Hall and Kensington Gardens, and down the road from the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum, so Charlotte can expect various educational outings and visits to the park.
The Princess is attending Willcocks Nursery school
Willcocks was last inspected by Ofsted in 2012 when the nursery was rated as "outstanding", with the report stating: "The educational programme is outstanding. Children actively participate in activities that relate to all areas of learning. Topic themes include outings in the local community and visitors to the nursery. This enables children to gain first-hand experiences that effectively consolidate their learning."