London:  Britain's Princess Charlotte has begun her first day at school with a welcome handshake from staff.

The four-year-old follows in the footsteps of big brother Prince George, who has been attending Thomas's Battersea for the past two years.

Charlotte arrived with her family, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and George by car as other parents dropped off their children at the south London school.

"First day - she's very excited," a smiling Prince William said as the family entered the school. Charlotte's fees for the school year are expected to cost around £18,915 ($34,000).