The Gist
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When it comes to raising their kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, Prince William and Kate Middleton are committed to doing it their way.
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That includes the “groundbreaking” decision of sending eldest child—and heir to the throne—George to a co-ed school, so that he can attend the same school as both of his siblings.
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“That chimes with William wanting to do things in a more modern way,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told People.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have long been keen to do royal life—and especially royal parenting—their own way.
Case in point? The decision to put their eldest son and heir to the throne, Prince George, in a co-ed school so that he could attend with both his younger brother Prince Louis and his younger sister Princess Charlotte. All three kids attend Lambrook School and will head back to a new school year next week.
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Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis
“That chimes with William wanting to do things in a more modern way, putting all three children in the same school,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told People for the outlet’s latest cover story. “It’s a new direction—groundbreaking for the royal family.”
This will be George’s last year at Lambrook before he heads off to likely either Eton College—the all-boys school that is the Prince of Wales’s alma mater—or, less likely, Marlborough College, the co-ed school that the Princess of Wales attended. William and Kate aren’t afraid to break tradition in the name of normalcy for their kids, like their reported decision to move into the $21 million Forest Lodge by the end of the year and remain there even after William takes the throne. If that should happen sooner than expected and George suddenly becomes first in line and, as tradition dictates, Prince of Wales, William may delay granting him that title if he is still in school, according to a palace source speaking to People.
“They would want him to focus on having freedom before giving him any royal titles,” the insider told the publication.
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Prince George, Prince William, and Kate Middleton on May 5, 2025
Royal historian and biographer Robert Lacey told the outlet, “I imagine that when William talks to George about things like this, he uses words like ‘destiny’ rather than ‘duty.’ ‘Duty’ has a sense of being trapped; ‘destiny’ has a sense of choice.”
Now that he is 12 years old, George is slowly beginning to take on royal duties. “Even though he is so young, he seems to have grown in confidence over the last couple of years,” The Mirror’s Russell Myers told People.
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Prince George on July 13, 2025
The palace source added that George “comes across as a serious chap,” but it makes sense: “To have the world’s eyes on you, especially when you’re so young, is demanding,” the insider added.
William’s goal is to make sure his kids—especially George—“enjoy it rather than fear it” when it comes to royal life, royal biographer Robert Hardman said. The Prince and Princess of Wales see introducing George to royal life as “a slow game,” and he’s getting “used to it on the couple’s terms rather than anybody else’s,” the palace source said.
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Prince George at Trooping the Colour on June 14, 2025
George “is the most normal 12-year-old future monarch we have ever had,” the insider said. “And that is a very good thing.”
Read the original article on InStyle