Times have changed. If there’s someone who seems determined to prove that, it’s Prince William. And that’s not just reflected in the plans he’s reportedly made to modernize the monarchy once he’s King, but also on the little things about his life and the life of his wife and children we hear reported about now. And for Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, that has meant a very significant change at school.
Even though the three have titles, and have had titles since birth, these titles are not used at school. Instead, the Prince and Princess of Wales’s children are simply known as George Wales, Charlotte Wales, and Louis Wales. This is, of course, a nod to their parents’ titles. Reportedly, before William and Kate had this title, when they were known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, their children used Cambridge as a last name.
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Before that, Prince William and Prince Harry did the same, taking on their father’s former title of Wales as their surname in school.
Members of the royal family do not always use a surname; sometimes they are referred to by their title, name, and His or Her Royal Highness. But the explanation for the surname can be found on the royal family’s website, which states: “At a meeting of the Privy Council on 17 July 1917, George V declared that ‘all descendants in the male line of Queen Victoria, who are subjects of these realms, other than female descendants who marry or who have married, shall bear the name of Windsor’.”
This all comes as Prince William focuses on changing the way the public perceives the royal family. “I can only describe what I’m trying to do and that’s trying to do it differently, and I’m trying to do it for my generation,” William said late last year. “I’m doing it with maybe a smaller r in the royal, if you like, that’s maybe a better way of saying it.”
Reportedly, their move from Adelaide Cottage to Forest Lodge is part of that. “Moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter; an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind. This is a move for the long term. They see it as their forever home,” a source told NBC News about the decision, which was made after what Prince William himself has characterized as a very hard year.
The family is expected to remain there and not move to Buckingham Palace when William ascends to the throne. “I don’t think William is going to bat an eyelid about breaking certain royal traditions.” Royal expert Jennie Bond told GB News. “He doesn’t want to live in a palace or a castle, and he has made up his mind to do things differently.”
“Living in a house—albeit a pretty big house as Forest Lodge is—will give his family a much more normal life, and that, I’m sure, is going to stand them in good stead,” she added.
That, on top of a more normal-looking school life for his kids, is a pretty good start for Prince William and Kate Middleton.