The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are settling into life in the country after sneaking into their royal residence away from the eyes of world.
Kate, 33, and William, 32, gave waiting photographers the slip when they arrived at a rear entrance of Anmer Hall, on the Sandringham estate, with Prince George and Princess Charlotte this afternoon.
The royal family left Kensington Palace for the ten-bedroom Norfolk retreat in a black Range Rover at lunchtime and were expected to arrive at the front entrance of Anmer Hall about two-and-a-half hours later following the 120-mile drive.
Prince William drove his wife, who was wearing a blue and white printed scarf by Beulah with pearl drop earrings from Annoushk, and their children - 21-month old Prince George and new arrival Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana - who were strapped safely in car seats in the back of the vehicle, hidden behind blacked-out windows.
However, despite the gates of Anmer Hall being opened at about 3.40pm, the prince didn't use the front entrance and instead used a side entrance about 400 yards away.
It is believed the opening of the main gates was a trick to make photographers think that William would be driving in.
An unmarked police Land Rover Discovery was also parked nearby with its blue lights flashing - but the gates suddenly slammed shut after five minutes.
A local resident later confirmed that he had seen the prince driving through the side entrance.
He said: 'I definitely saw William driving down the track at around 3.40pm with Kate next to him and a BMW following behind.
'I had seen the same vehicles on television when they left Kensington Palace earlier. It looks like he went in that way to avoid being filmed or photographed.'
The Duke and Duchess have made it clear that they plan to spend most of the summer at Anmer Hall as they get to grips with bringing up a toddler and a baby.
It is believed that they will spend the bulk of the next few weeks behind closed doors at the redbrick Georgian mansion and away from the eyes of the world's media.
William and Kate are fiercely protective of their children's privacy and it is likely that Princess Charlotte's christening, which will be in three or four months, will be the next time she is photographed in public. Even then, that is unlikely to be a public event, with only a handful of photographs released to the media.
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