FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!
INSIDE PRINCE GEORGE’S
Decked out in his smart navy and red uniform and lugging a backpack almost bigger than he is, it’s hard to believe that Prince George is all set for his first day of school already!
The third in line to the British throne is set to start at London’s exclusive St Thomas’s Battersea this week – but just like any mum sending her firstborn child off to big school, the Duchess of Cambridge is ‘a bundle of nerves’ and ‘very excited, but also very anxious’.
‘Kate’s just beside herself,’ says a well-placed palace source. ‘She’s of course incredibly excited for George and has been happily watching him count down the days until his first day for weeks now, but she can’t help being anxious.
‘She knows that she’s no different from all mums sending their firstborn off to school, but there’s obviously the added pressure of the whole world watching, and the enormous security concerns and royal protocols that have to be followed.
‘Also, the fact that George is going to be one of the youngest in the class has been weighing on Kate’s mind.
‘All eyes are going to be on him 24/7, and Kate’s worried that he’s going to find himself segregated from the other kids because he’s part of the royal family. It’s all very nerve-racking.’
Friends close to the duchess say she’s been on an ‘emotional roller-coaster’ over the past few weeks, as George’s first day at the $36,500-a-year primary school fast approaches.
‘It feels like only yesterday that Kate was bringing little George home from the hospital, so it’s understandable that she’s pretty emotional at how fast the years are ticking away,’ says the source.
‘To Kate, he’s still that little baby she held in her arms – she can’t believe that he’s already off to school. Next he’ll be heading off to university and getting married! Time is moving too fast for Kate.’
Despite Kate’s jitters, there’s no doubting little George, four, is in very safe hands at St Thomas’s Battersea, which is described as offering the best education ‘money can buy’.
The school’s headmaster, Simon O’malley, says the school’s main rule is ‘to be kind’ and explains that the establishment places ‘a greater emphasis on a set of core values, which include kindness, courtesy,
THE BIG DAY HAS FINALLY COME FOR THE FAMOUS FOUR-YEAR-OLD – AND KATE COULDN’T BE MORE NERVOUS!
confidence, humility and learning to be givers, not takers.’ While the school has reportedly had bullet-proof glass fitted ahead of George’s arrival, sources say William and Kate, both 35, are determined to make life at school as normal as possible for their son. The couple – who recently moved from Anmer Hall to Kensington Palace so they’d be closer to St Thomas’s – are already planning to do the 30-minute drive to the school themselves, where they’ll mingle with other school mums and dads. Says one fellow parent at the school: ‘The fact that they drive a Range Rover means they will fit in very well here during drop-off.’ It’s believed Kate has already taken George back-to-school shopping, where he chose his own lunchbox and drink bottle – and he’s ‘very excited’ about making new friends. ‘William and Kate want to give George as normal an upbringing as they can – just like Diana did with Harry and Wills,’ says the source. ‘They’re really excited about sending him to school. Kate just needs to keep her nerves in check!’