Princess Charlotte looks adorable in navy uniform as she holds mom Kate Middleton's hand on first day of school
As the day arrived for Princess Charlotte, 4, to start her first day in school, she shyly made her way to the gates of Thomas's Battersea in South London, along with her elder brother, Prince George, 6, and parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, both 37.
The shutterbugs went into a frenzy capturing one of the rare moments where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge walked their kids to school like other parents, anxious about their daughter starting her school year. Prince Charlotte, clutching the hand of her mother tightly, smiled and waved at the cameras and at times hid behind Kate's back.
Prince George held his father's hand as both the young royals arrived at the institution dressed in their uniforms. Princess Charlotte, who celebrated her fourth birthday on May 2, wore what was reportedly the "transitional" uniform of a blue pinafore, which was paired with a white summer blouse, black shoes, and white socks.
Prince William drove Princess Charlotte to school in South London on her first day in the family's Land Rover Discovery around 8:15 a.m. The Duke and the Duchess carried the schoolbags of their children as they walked them to the entrance.
A video of the young princess arriving at school was tweeted out by the Kensington Palace, which concluded with the head of the lower school Helen Haslem greeting her new pupil and shaking hands with the princess, as well as the rest of her family members.
"How are you? Did you have a good summer?" the Duchess of Cambridge was seen asking Haslem with a big smile on her face.
Princess Charlotte was accompanied by her parents to her classroom - a class of 21 - as they helped her meet her teacher and settle down. Sources told Daily Mail that the young princess, who will now be known by the staff as well as her peers as Charlotte Cambridge, was "hugely excited" about leaving the nursery and joining her older brother at the school where he has been "extremely happy."
Soon comparisons began with Princess Charlotte's first day with that of Princes George and William's. According to Daily Mail, the princess' arrival was a much low-key event and was covered with a fairly small number of reporters in contrast to the crowds of photographers who showed up for her father's first day at school when he was dropped off by Diana, Princess of Wales.
As for her brother, the Duchess was a no-show on the day he started school and was only accompanied by his Prince William, as she was pregnant at the time with Prince Louis, her third child, and was suffering from acute morning sickness at home.
Thomas's Battersea is an £18,915 ($23,000) a year private school. Although, Princess Charlotte will have to pay two percent lesser school fee than her brother's £6,000 ($700) a term amount due to the fact that she is a second child at the school. The institution is known for teaching its pupils the important lesson that kindness is as important as academic success.