Princess Charlotte

Pictures taken by Princess Catherine showed the smiling two-year-old outside her Kensington Palace home in London before she set off to begin at the nearby private Willcocks Nursery School.

The princess will be a full-time pupil at the nursery in London which charges £3,000 ($NZ5666) per term.

Charlotte is fourth-in-line to the throne behind her father, her elder brother George and grandfather Prince Charles.

Her parents are expecting a third baby in April.

If the two young royals weren't interested in sports, they will be now. Well, interested in ice hockey, at least. Each jersey said "George" and "Charlotte" on the back. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge received the uniforms during a visit to a domestic violence shelter and charity on their last day of their Canada tour.

Wills and Kate kicked off the day at The Cridge Center for the Family in Victoria, British Columbia, which provides support for women who have experienced domestic violence and housing for families experiencing economic or relationship crises.

Charlotte, 16 months, was heard speaking in public for the first time - saying "pop" at the balloons that filled Government House in Victoria.

The residence was transformed into a children's paradise, which included a petting zoo and miniature ponies.

The play day was on day six of the Cambridges' eight-day tour of Canada.

It is the first official trip all four of the family have been on together.

Analysis

The littlest royal received gifts and letters from 64 countries to mark her birthday on Monday, with a list released by Kensington Palace revealing several presents with a distinctly Kiwi flavour.

Among them were an All Blacks sleepsuit and a Wellington Rugby snowsuit, which Harry brought back from New Zealand last year, Britain's Press Association reported.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released two official new snaps of Princess Charlotte overnight to mark her six-month milestone.

Mum Kate Middleton, 33, took the gorgeous photos at their country home Anmer Hall in Norfolk earlier this month.

Kensington Palace, the official home of Prince William and his wife Kate, published a letter sent to media standards organizations, detailing recent incursions on the family's privacy. 

It said photographers have hidden in car trunks, obscured themselves in sand dunes, monitored the movement of Prince George and his nanny around London parks and used other children to draw Prince George into view on playgrounds.