Prince George’s future in doubt as Prince William and Kate Middleton face huge decision
Kate and William's three children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, first attended Thomas’s school in Battersea, London, and then, when the family moved to Adelaide Cottage, moved to the £47k per year Berkshire independent preparatory school Lambrook in 2022.
And, as royal expert Katie Nicholl tells OK!, the royal couple's brood have a very enjoyable time, there - one that, most vitally, has given them a sense of stabillity during uncertain times, as their mother Kate continues her cancer treatment. “When Kate was in hospital, George was on the football pitch playing with his friends,” says Katie.
She adds: “That sense of normality, of keeping the family going at one of the hardest times they’ve ever gone through, was important. The school gives them a great infrastructure and a great support network, and allows the children to live a regular childhood – a low-key, happy, albeit privileged childhood.”
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But Lambrook is a preparatory school, which means for their eldest child George - the future King - in particular, there are some very difficult decisions looming. Namely, where to send them, once their time at prep school comes to an end.. Traditionally, royal children have either been home-schooled or, as was the case for King Charles III and his two sons, sent to boarding school - Charles boarded at Cheam School in Berkshire, aged just eight, making him the first heir to the throne to attend a “civilian” school, while Prince William and his brother Harry both attended Ludgrove School, also in Berkshire, from the same age.
And that same choice is on the horizon for Willam and Kate over their children. Known for doing things their own way when it comes to parenting, compared to the perhaps more old-fashioned royals previously, it is no secret that the pair have previously clashed over this huge decision.
William wants George to follow in his footsteps by attending elite single-sex boarding school Eton, but according to royal sources, the Princess would prefer her eldest to do what she did, and attend a mixed-sex establishment like Marlborough College in Wiltshire, which she went to from 1996 to 2000. Young George is allegedly all for the idea of going to Eton - but his devoted and modern-thinking mum, Kate was said to be “heartbroken” at the thought of her son attending the prestigious school, which she is thought to feels is too “stuffy” for him.
“Kate’s preference is for George to be at a co-education school, so he can be with his siblings, which is what Kate experienced at Marlborough with her sister, Pippa, and brother, James,” says Katie. “It was a very happy school life for her, but William has very fond memories of Eton, which has a long history with aristocrats and members of the royal family.”
The decision they make will, of course, be one they feel is best for their little ones' futures - but it will clearly not be easy. And Katie adds that the Prince and Princess, renowned for doing things their own way, could well surprise royal onlookers with their decision.
“There’s always the possibility of traditions being changed,” she argues. “William and Harry didn’t end up following in their father’s footsteps by going to Gordonstoun [in Scotland], and it may be that George breaks the Eton mould and ends up somewhere else. “Whatever happens, it’ll be a decision made by William and Kate with George’s best interests factored in.”
