George, Charlotte and Louis have first day at Lambrook School

The Cambridge "gang" have started a new chapter together, walking hand-in-hand with their parents on the first day at their new school.

Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, are all starting at Lambrook School, in Berkshire, after the family's recent move to Windsor.

For little Louis, in summer uniform, it was his very first day at school.

His older siblings previously attended Thomas's Battersea in London.

On the settling-in day, the duke referred to his children as "all the gang", ushering them up the steps of the private school.

Headmaster Jonathan Perry was on hand to greet the young royals, shaking each of them by the hand and saying it was "lovely to have you with us".

Asked if they were excited, all three replied "yes" and Prince William said they were "all looking forward to it" and had "lots of questions".

The siblings showed no obvious signs of nerves as they walked confidently into Lambrook in the sunshine holding their parents' hands.

Earlier, they had been forced to dodge the showers after pulling up in the school's grounds. Parents arriving later were hit by torrential rain.

As the family walked towards the school entrance in front of two cameras, they could be heard laughing and Prince William was seen stroking Prince Louis' hair reassuringly.

The children's first full day is on Thursday, the official start of term.

The Cambridge children are all smiles on the way to their new school

Lambrook School headmaster Jonathan Perry greets the young royals

This will be a privileged education. Annual fees for all three children will be more than £53,000.

The school sits in 52 acres of Berkshire countryside close to Ascot Racecourse. It has a nine-hole golf course and swimming pool as well as bees, chickens and pigs for pupils to look after.

Some children are boarders at the school but, for now, the Cambridges will be day pupils.

In 1990, his parents Prince Charles and Princess Diana accompanied William on his first day at Ludgrove Preparatory School near Wokingham, Berkshire

In 2017, Prince George started at Thomas's Battersea in London

Princess Charlotte was greeted by one of the teachers at Thomas's Battersea on her first day in 2019

Marking a first day at school has become a royal rite of passage.

Earlier, a single photographer and one TV camera filmed the Cambridge family as they arrived at Lambrook. The footage was then shared across a number of media organisations.

Limiting the number of cameras and journalists is a way of protecting the children from the public glare. The hope is that a managed glimpse into life at Lambrook will afford the family some privacy at school from now on.

It was very different when William started school.

In the late-80s and mid-90s, he faced a barrage of cameras as he started nursery and then school, always accompanied by his mother and often his father. To cries of "William" or "Diana" those nervous, first steps into school were a major media event.

When he started Eton in 1995, cameras were even allowed to follow him as he walked to his first lesson. Such access just would not happen now. These milestones are still recorded but royal children are no longer as exposed on these significant days.

Prince William's sister-in-law, the Duchess of Sussex, recently discussed her concerns about her son Archie attending school in the UK during an interview with US magazine The Cut.

Meghan said she would not have been able to pick up Archie from school in the UK "without it being a royal photo call with a press pen of 40 people snapping pictures" and said that was something she had a problem with.

The Editors' Code of Practice, the rules from the Independent Press Standards Organisation newspapers and magazines follow, prevents photographing children at school.

George, Charlotte and Louis can stay at Lambrook until they are 13 years old. The school says its aims to create "happy and thoughtful young adults who are global citizens".

Lambrook has some royal history, with two of Queen Victoria's grandsons, Prince Christian Victor and Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstein, having been pupils.

During their time at the school, Queen Victoria used to travel from Windsor Castle to watch them in plays and cricket matches.