Princess Charlotte's First Day at Nursery School!

They grow up so fast! The two and a half years since Princess Charlotte was born have flown past. Today, the Princess marked an important milestone, attending her first day at Willcocks Nursery School. The Cambridges enjoyed Christmas with the Royal family and reportedly rang in the New Year in Bucklebury with the Middletons, before returning to Anmer for Kate's birthday weekend. Following a church appearance at Sandringham yesterday, it was back to London ahead of Charlotte's very special day.

The adorable images were taken by Kate this morning at Kensington Palace before she and William dropped their daughter off for her first day. They are gorgeous shots and capture Charlotte's personality wonderfully. The Princess looked cute as a button in her burgundy coat and shoes.

It's amazing how much she has grown and changed. I think she looks quite a bit like her big brother now. What do you think? Below, we see Charlotte in her role as flower girl at Pippa's wedding last May.

Charlotte's lovely coat is the Amaia Kids Razorbil Classic Boiled Wool Coat (with thanks to Laura). It's described as: "Light and easy to wear. Looks stunning with matching bonnet". Charlotte's matching bow is also by the brand.

Charlotte's backpack is the Cath Kidston Pony Kids Medium Style and her shoes are by Spanish brand Dona Carmen Bebes (with thanks to Estelle Attire and What Kate's Kids Wore).

Prince George attends Thomas's Battersea; the school has a nursery too, and it was thought Charlotte would go there. Given the distance to Thomas's and the short nursery hours, William and Kate elected to choose Willcocks, which is close to the family's Kensington Palace home. The school was founded in 1964 by Diana Willcocks and has been at its current location in the church hall of Holy Trinity Church, Prince Consort Road, London since 1984. The school is owned and run by the Headmistress, Lavinia Taylor, and her fellow teachers, Louise Ward, Sarah Walker, Rosa Rego Dias and Jennifer Robbins. It is known as a traditional nursery school which strives to maintain its ethos of high standards, excellence and good manners.

A parent shared the following glowing review on the nursery's website:

"The Willcocks Nursery School where only the kindest and most encouraging teachers make every day quite wonderful so that by the time goodbyes are said your children hardly realise they've become almost grown up and the most well behaved, caring, sharing and cheerful children you could ever hope to find."

Royal reporter for The Mirror, Victoria Murphy was told William and Kate thought Willcocks was an ideal first step for their daughter's education and were impressed with the staff there. Victoria added: "Unlike Prince George who started nursery in Norfolk part time, Princess Charlotte will be attending her London nursery full-time." Morning classes run five days per week, with afternoon classes held on three days. As you can see in the graphic below, the day's curriculum is centred around a wide range of activities including art, music and dance. Charlotte loves dancing and will be in her element at the nursery.

William and Kate will have been invited in for a 'stay and play' session. Willcocks offers the following advice to parents on settling their child in:

'You and your child will be invited for a short “stay and play”. Once settled, you will be asked to leave for a short period to see if your child is happy to be left. As your child becomes more able to cope, the session will be gradually extended to the full morning or afternoon. .

Sometimes separation can be upsetting and we ask you to be patient. Each child is an individual; a toy or photograph from home or a picture of their Key Teacher to take home can link home and nursery and be very helpful.

As your child builds a rapport with the teachers, we will ask you to stay in the vicinity for the first few sessions so that you can return if needed.'

Ofsted gave the nursery a glowing report, praising children's behaviour and the teacher/pupil relationships fostered. "Children have good relationships with staff and each other. They show strong bonds with staff and freely approach them during play, including times when they need support. Children feel safe at the setting as staff show high regard to promoting smooth transition into the nursery. Children are exceptionally well behaved. They show a clear understanding of expectations of their behaviour. They are supported well in following the well established daily routines. In addition, they enjoy frequent outside play, outings and musical and movement activities which provide opportunities for them to be active. Children show a positive contribution to their learning environment. For example, they take turns in being a helper."

Two years ago, Prince George started at Westactre Montessori nursery, a twenty-minute drive from their country home Anmer Hall. It was reported George attended two or three days weekly.

It's been an important few months for both George and Charlotte. The Prince started at Thomas's Battersea in September, and they will be welcoming a new brother or sister in just a few months. George returns to Thomas's tomorrow morning following Christmas break.

I hope Charlotte's first day went swimmingly! :)

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In other news, Kensington Palace announced two engagements for the Duchess on Wednesday, 17th January. The Duchess will visit Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to officially open the Mittal Children's Medical Centre, home to the new Premier Inn Clinical Building. On the day, the Duchess will visit two separate wards. Kate will join some of the hospital's patients in the children's play room and meet patients and their families to hear about their experience of the brand new facilities. She will also meet staff caring for these children and talk to clinicians carrying out cutting edge research to help the most seriously ill children.

Later that afternoon, Kate will visit will visit Bond Primary School in Mitcham to see the work of the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (WJTI). The Duchess will join groups of children from Bond Primary School in the school hall as they take part in a range of tennis-related sessions, including activities to improve hand-eye coordination and footwork.

Finally, The Duchess sent a letter to her patronage East Anglia's Children's Hospices praising their “dedication, generosity and achievements” to mark the start of building work of the nook.

The full letter.

Fundraising efforts for the Nook have been underway for several years now; it's simply wonderful to see the project getting firmly underway. Once built it will transform care delivery to meet the changing needs of children and help meet the increasing demand for services. More from EACH on their vision: "The size and design of the building will also mean a reduction in the short-break care we have to cancel to deliver vital end of life care. The nook will enable us to do both, better, and at the same time. It will be a central hub, serving families across the county with specialist care both in the hospice and the community. We are recognised as leaders in our field, with a reputation for excellence and commitment to development and innovation. The scale and competitive cost of the project reflects the size and nature of delivering and developing such a wide range of specialist services – Norfolk and North Suffolk families need a 21st century building for 21st century care." If you would like to support the project and 'Buy a Brick' please click here. Wishing EACH the very best of luck as the build progresses!

We'll see you on Wednesday when Kate visits Reach Academy Feltham, a school working in partnership with Place2Be and other organisations to support children.