10 February 2024 , 11:48
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Both Prince William and Kate are widely reported to be hands-on parents. They are seemingly willing to approach their royal duties in a way that allows them to keep parenting and the wellbeing of their three children - Prince George, aged 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five - as their first priority.
A royal expert has claimed that this even might extend to the Prince and Princess of Wales being willing to break with a relatively long-standing tradition that has been upheld by the last couple of generations of royals, to ensure that their children's happiness is protected at all costs.
The expert - Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine and royal biographer - previously told a Spanish publication, Quien?, that we may see the couple diverge from the tradition of sending the young royals to boarding school if they thought it best for Prince George.
King Charles attended a boarding school in Scotland - Gourdonstoon - where he is said to have been bullied and struggled to fit in, and his father Prince Philip also attended the school. Prince William and Kate also went to boarding schools - with William beginning his boarding career aged only eight years old at Ludgrove School before attending Eton College.
Seward explained: "We are used to seeing members of royalty breaking tradition these days, so it won't come as much of a shock if they do things their way. I think William and Kate's opinion will be if the children are happy in their school, why change things."
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The expert added, "Kate and William are modern parents and will weigh up the decision very carefully. I think they'll wait to see how the children's personalities develop and take into consideration whether or not they would be happy to live away from home."
She also claimed that due to the early traumatic events that William experienced in his childhood - like the very public and acrimonious breakdown of his parent's marriage and the sudden death of his mother - he is hyper-aware of his children's mental health.
However, Seward argued that given Prince George's status as second-in-line to the throne, in some ways boarding school might be a more healthy and safe environment for him. "If I was Kate though, I'd feel more secure if George, as heir to the throne, was tucked away at boarding school. He'll have more freedom there and he'll be very protected from any outside dangers."
In June 2023, Prince George was spotted visiting Eton College with his parents, and it has been reported that he has sat the first set of entrance exams required for the school.
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