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Princess Charlotte has charmed the nation with her cheeky antics, even daring to stick her tongue out at cameras.
But on her first day of school this morning she was on her best behaviour.
Arriving at Thomas’s Battersea, where her brother George is two years above, four-year-old Charlotte clung to her mother’s hand and was sure to keep her manners in check.
Cracking her signature smile, and confidently waving to a small crowd of reporters, she flicked her hair as she strolled over to meet her teacher.
Her calm and collected demeanour is a world away from how her brother George, who was also by her side this morning, dealt with the same experience two years ago.
Charlotte (left today) smiled as she confidently took the hand of her teacher, head of Thomas’s lower school, Helen Haslem, who also greeted George on his first day two years ago (right)
Charlotte clung to her mother’s hand, while brother George held his father’s as they arrived at Thomas’s Battersea for the Princess’s first day at school today
Charlotte (left) appeared confident walking into her first day of school at Thomas’s Battersea with her mother at 8am today, while her brother George (right) appeared more nervous on his first day two years ago
The young prince, now six, appeared anxious as he nervously walked with his father through the school gates of the exclusive London private school in September 2017.
He had to make the journey without his mother, who was suffering morning sickness while pregnant with his younger brother Louis.
Believed to have been much more comfortable at home with father William and mother Kate, George looked unsure as he shook hands with his teacher Helen Haslem.
In comparison, royal sources said Charlotte was ‘excited’ to begin her schooling today, after turning four in May.
Charlotte (left) flicked her hair walking as she strolled along next to her brother today (right). George appeared far more nervous when he started two years ago
The Duchess of Cambridge chuckled as her daughter momentarily hid behind her, while father William beamed and brother George walked with them
Addressing Mrs Haslem, the Duchess asked: ‘How are you? Did you have a nice summer?’, before the teacher bent down to shake George’s hand and then Charlotte’s.
William smiled and said: ‘First day – she’s very excited.’
Charlotte may have been reassured by the presence of her brother, who is believed to have ‘settled in well’ at the same school.
Charlotte looked confident as she took her teacher’s hand and gave the cameras a quick glance before she was led through the doors.
She wore the school’s navy blue and red uniform, made up of a dark dress and cardigan with a blouse, white socks and shoes.
She had her hair in a practical ponytail, which she kept adjusting, fixed with a bow.
Her mother carried her satchel which had a key-ring in the shape of a pony’s head attached to it.
The young princess will referred to by her teachers and classmates as ‘Charlotte Cambridge’, similar to George.
Brother and sister: Charlotte (left) was calm and collected as she was taken through the school doors this morning, with George pictured doing the same (right)
Charlotte flicked her hair as she waited to be greeted by head of Thomas’s lower school Helen Haslem
Commentators also noted a likeliness between Charlotte and the Queen.
One royal fan wrote on social media: ‘What a good looking family they are. Charlotte is so like the Queen when she was her age.’
Another added: ‘Prince Charlotte arrives for her first day of school. So sweet. Charlotte is a doppelganger of Queen Elizabeth, while a third simply said: ‘Charlotte looks just like the Queen!’
Under the school’s policy, William and Kate’s fees for Charlotte will be nearly 2 per cent lower than George’s because she is a second child at the school.
Royal fans hailed the photos of Princess Charlotte (left) on her first day, before highlighting the similarities between her and the Queen (right)
At the moment, the term fee for the eldest child of the Reception and Year Two-tier is £6,429, while the charge for the second child it is £6,305, according to the school’s website.
If the Cambridges’ youngest child Prince Louis attended the same school, the fee – as it stands under the current fee levels with effect from September 1, 2019 – for the third child would be £5,790.
The school is housed in a Grade II listed building, the former Sir Walter St John’s Grammar School which dates back to 1700.
Then and now: Charlotte (left) waved to cameras this morning, while her brother George appeared nervous on the same day two years ago (right)
Thomas’s Battersea, which describes itself as a Christian school, open to children of all faiths, believes in ‘praise as the greatest motivator’.
Parents are told their children will be in an atmosphere which seeks positive relationships between pupils, teachers and parents.
Art, ballet, drama, ICT, French, music and physical education are all taught by specialist teachers from a child’s first day.
William and Kate are familiar figures at the school gate and have thrown themselves into school life, helping out at coffee mornings and cheering George on from the sidelines at sports day.
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