School rule Prince George and Princess Charlotte were allowed to break

Prince George and Princess Charlotte attended Thomas’s School in Battersea until 2022, and during their time there, they were granted a unique privilege not extended to their peers.

A handout photo from Prince William and Kate Middleton captured Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Kensington Palace just before their departure to Thomas’s Battersea for Charlotte’s first school day.

On her inaugural day at Thomas’s Battersea, Princess Charlotte was accompanied by her older brother, Prince George. Although Prince William and Kate Middleton wished for their children to be treated the same as other students, there was one notable exception that distinguished them from their classmates.

Before transitioning to Lambrook School in 2022, Prince George and Princess Charlotte were both students at Thomas’s School in Battersea. George began attending the school in September 2017, followed by his younger sister Charlotte in September 2019. During their time there, the school, like many others, had to adapt to the Covid-19 pandemic by implementing various health and safety measures to mitigate the virus’s spread.

One significant adjustment was a policy requiring parents to drop off their children at the school gates rather than driving into the premises. However, royal expert Katie Nicholl reported that the Cambridge family was exempt from this rule. In her Vanity Fair article, Nicholl stated: “According to one parent, the school had introduced numerous Covid prevention measures requiring parents to drop their children at the school gates. However, the Cambridges were still permitted to drive their children into the school grounds.”

This exemption was likely due to security concerns, as the high-profile nature of the royal family necessitates the presence of personal protection officers. Despite the involvement of a nanny and other staff, Kate and William regularly participated in the school drop-off and pick-up routines, frequently interacting with other parents in the playground. This level of involvement has continued even after their children moved to Lambrook School. As with many working parents, the couple often adjusted their work schedules to accommodate school runs. Currently, George, Charlotte, and Louis are in Year 6, Year 4, and Year 1, respectively, at the Berkshire-based prep school.

Despite their global fame, the royal children are not addressed by their royal titles at school. Instead, they are known simply as George Wales, Charlotte Wales, and Louis Wales, reflecting their parents’ titles, the Prince and Princess of Wales, which were conferred following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

Lambrook School accommodates students up to the age of 13, and reports suggest that William and Kate are already considering secondary school options for Prince George. It has been rumored that the couple visited St Edward’s School in Oxford, a prestigious co-educational boarding school with an annual fee of £46,980, catering to children aged 13 to 18. Located about an hour’s drive from the Wales family home in Windsor, St Edward’s School could potentially be attended by both George and Charlotte when the time comes.