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

While details of how Prince William and Kate Middleton are marking the milestone for their daughter remain under wraps, we have been told they'll be celebrating it privately at their country home. And we're certain there will be plenty of excitement in their household as the little princess opens her first-ever batch of birthday presents.

The royal attended the RBS 6 Nations Wales v France game at the Principality Stadium in Wales earlier today, where he proudly dished to a pool of reporters about his youngest.

"Please tell me it gets easier," he joked before clarifying that "Charlotte is very easy."

"But all the fathers say to me, ‘Just you want, when they get to nine or 11 they get crazy.'"

Prince William added, "I'm looking forward to it. There will be some drama."

She's so iconic, in fact, that she inspired a new baby clothing line from designer Seraphine. Kate Middleton wore the brand throughout both of her pregnancies, and now The Diana Award, a charity in Princess Diana's name, wanted to collaborate with the popular brand to honor Prince William's mom, so it tapped Seraphine's head designer Cecile Reinaud.

It has only been four months since 

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.