Princess Charlotte cuddles brother Prince George during first day of school as Kate Middleton and Prince William release official picture

5 September 2019, 16:26 | Updated: 29 October 2019, 13:01

By Alice Dear

@According2Al

Kate Middleton and Prince William have released an official picture of Princess Charlotte and Prince George to mark the Princess' first day of reception at Thomas's Battersea.

To celebrate Princess Charlotte starting reception, and Prince George starting year two at Thomas's Battersea School, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released an official picture of the brother and sister.

Following the release of pictures of Prince George and Princess Charlotte arriving at the school with parents Kate Middleton and Prince William this morning, Kensington Palace released the more personal image of the brother and sister.

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In the picture, Charlotte and George share a sweet cuddle as they smile at the camera, posing on the steps of the family's Kensington Palace residence.

The pair are both wearing the navy and red uniform, looking confident and ready for the school year.

Sharing the picture on their social media accounts, Kensington Palace captioned the image with: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to share a photograph of Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Kensington Palace this morning.

"The photo was taken shortly before Their Royal Highnesses left for Thomas's Battersea."

Fans of the royal family gushed over the sweet image as they commented on how grown up the pair looked.

Earlier in the day, the Cambridge family – minus Prince Louis – were pictured arriving at the school, with Kate holding Charlotte's hands and William holding Prince George's.

A shy Charlotte came out of her shell when she was greeted by the school's head of Lower School, Helen Haslam.

See all the pictures from the special day here.