William and Kate release new family photo as Charlotte heads for nursery school

William and Kate, who is pregnant with her third child, will send two-year-old Charlotte to Willcocks Nursery School, close to their Kensington Palace home, from January.

The princess will be a full-time pupil at the nursery, which charges fees of just over £3,000 a term for pupils attending its Monday to Friday morning school, and employs lots of play as children learn.

Asked about the couple’s choice of school, a Kensington Palace spokeswoman said: “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.”

In the new photograph, which will feature on William and Kate’s Christmas card, the young princess is pictured with her older brother, Prince George, aged four, and their parents.

The image was taken at Kensington Palace earlier this year and shows the family all standing for the picture.

William puts his hands on his son’s shoulders while Charlotte looks intently at the camera, held by Chris Jackson, royal photographer for Getty Images, as she stands in front of Kate.

The new school term at Willcocks starts on January 4 but it is not known if the princess will begin on the same day as her classmates.

The nursery charges fees of £3,050 per term for children attending what it calls morning school for 32 youngsters, aged almost three to five years old, who are in class five days a week for three hours.

On its website, the school says pupils experience “a fun and structured morning with lots of free play where children embark on the first stages of learning to read, write and to understand simple numbers with the minimum of pressure”.

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.”

The choice for Charlotte is in contrast to the nursery picked for George, who was sent to Westacre Montessori School near the Cambridges’ Norfolk home, Anmer Hall. He is now a pupil at Thomas’s Battersea.

The nursery was founded in 1964 by Diana Willcocks and has been at its current location in the church hall of Holy Trinity Church in Kensington since 1984.

The school is owned and run by headmistress Lavinia Taylor and a number of fellow teachers.

A school spokesman said: ‘’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.’’