George’s first day at nursery... by his proud mother
DRESSED in a quilted blue jacket and carrying a backpack, Prince George arrived at nursery for the first time yesterday – without a hint of nervousness.
In fact, the third in line to the throne couldn’t have looked more excited as he toddled into the Westacre Montessori School chosen by his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
In a picture taken by his mother Kate on their arrival, the two-year-old is seen smiling at a brightly coloured mural – and striking a pose remarkably similar to that of his grandfather Prince Charles.
In another, he looks boldly down the lens – clearly brimming with confidence.
The little prince spent a couple of hours settling in at the private £5.50-an-hour establishment near the family’s home Anmer Hall, on the Queen’s Sandringham Estate. According to aides, he did
‘It’s nice for him to attend
a little local school’
‘very well’ on his first day. The relaxed scenes couldn’t have been more different to those that greeted his father Prince William when he started nursery school in 1985.
In line with tradition, a formal photocall was arranged by Kensington Palace for the three-yearold’s arrival at Mrs Mynors’ Nursery School in London, which was also a Montessori.
William and Kate, however, refused to allow such formality yesterday – preferring to release their own pictures. The couple have made no secret of their desire to give their son and daughter – eightmonth-old Princess Charlotte – as normal an upbringing as possible away from the paparazzi.
George, who also has a nanny, Maria Borrallo, will attend his new nursery two or three days a week, starting with sessions lasting a few hours but building up to half a day.
The school, which looks after around 20 under-fives, is ten miles from the family’s Norfolk mansion. William and Kate currently divide their time between Anmer and Kensington Palace in the capital, but decided to opt for a village nursery for George while William is working as a pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance.
Palace sources insisted that the couple’s choice of nursery does not mean they are intending to base themselves in Norfolk full time, however it is clear that they very much view Anmer Hall as their main home.
A senior aide said: ‘He won’t go every day... but the couple decided that it would just be nice for him to attend a little local nursery school. They looked around a few places in the area and really liked Westacre. They thought it was very welcoming and the staff were lovely.’
They added that the Cambridges ‘are keen to make this an unremarkable experience for the other parents’.
Westacre, which is more than 30 years old and situated in a former chapel, runs on the approach developed by Italian educator Maria Montessori in the early 1900s. The ‘child centred’ technique uses children’s natural instinct to learn through play, and allows them freedom to develop at their own pace.
In its latest Ofsted report, Westacre was described as a ‘bright, attractive and welcoming environment’. And in a statement, issued through Kensington Palace, the school said: ‘We are looking forward to welcoming George to our nursery where he will get the same special experience as all of our children.’