LONDON: Britain's Prince William and wife Kate's daughter Princess Charlotte will start attending nursery in the new year, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced today.
The two-year-old, who is fourth-in-line to the British throne, will start at Willcocks Nursery School, close to the royal family's Kensington Palace home in London.
"We are delighted that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen the Willcocks Nursery School for Princess Charlotte. We look forward to welcoming Charlotte to our nursery in January," a spokesperson for the nursery said.
Fees for Willcocks vary depending on age and whether a child goes to the morning or afternoon school.
According to the school's website, the fees for each term from September are 3,050 pounds for children who attend morning sessions and 1,800 pounds for afternoon sessions.
The princess will first be invited with her parents for a short "stay and play" session, the nursery's website suggests.
The royal couple will then be asked to leave to see if their daughter, who will be encouraged to bring a photograph or toy from home, "is happy to be left".
Described by parents who send their children to the nursery as "kind and gentle", the school has an all-female staff and its stated ethos is "for high standards, excellence and good manners".
A page on the school's website titled 'Settling In' says it wants "the transition from home to nursery school to be a happy time for your child".
Earlier this year, Charlotte's four-year-old brother Prince George started at Thomas' Battersea school, an 18,000- pounds-a-year prep school in London.
The news was accompanied by the release of a new family photograph, which will feature on the Christmas card to be sent out by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, taken by Getty Images' royal photographer Chris Jackson.
The photo features George and Charlotte both wearing light blue, standing directly in front of William and Kate who is currently expecting the couple's third child due in April.