It is significant for William and Kate for George to have a normal schooling experience, that’s why the hands-on parents are determined to drop him off each day at the gates of Thomas’s Battersea school beginning this fall.
“It’s very important to both of them that George enjoys as normal a childhood as possible, particularly as he settles into a new school, and for them this includes dropping him off at the school gates,” said the source to Daily Mail .
Another source told the website that the Duchess of Cambridge “wants George – and later Charlotte – to have the same school experience that she did as a child.” While the couple understands that the set-up might “cause a bit of a buzz to start with, they are hopeful it will soon settle down.”
After the announcement that George will attend the school that’s famed for its emphasis on attitude, a real estate agent claims they have witnessed an increase of 60 percent in inquiries for the properties near the school.
Last year, Montessori schools also experienced the “George Effect.” According to Telegraph , the Maria Montessori Institute in London has been “inundated with calls from parents wanting their youngsters to go to a Montessori nursery.”
Stephen Tommis from the Montessori St. Nicholas charity, also told the website that while difficult to quantify, George’s Montessori attendance made the inquiries soar.
“I think parents with very young children are a little curious. Many people have heard of Montessori but they don’t know what it means and they’re thinking ‘If the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen a Montessori nursery, they have for a good reason’. It’s increased curiosity.”
In the U.K., there are about 700 Montessori nurseries. George, then two, went to the Westacre Montessori School near Anmer Hall in Norfolk. William and Harry both attended a Montessori nursery.
William and Kate relocated to Kensington not just for them to fulfill more royal duties, but most importantly, to prepare for George’s formal schooling.
While it was initially thought that the young prince would go to Wetherby, his parents left many stunned when they announced a different school.
Headmaster Ben Thomas wrote on the school’s website that for them, to “be kind” is the most important of all.
“Whilst we are proud of our record of senior school entrance and scholarship successes, we place a greater emphasis on a set of core values, which include kindness, courtesy, confidence, humility and learning to be givers, not takers.”
Each term in the school, which was founded 40 years ago, costs £5,653 (about $6,100). Apart from taking pride as an institution with “excellent academic results,” the environment is likewise described as “happy, dynamic, and vibrant.”
The royal couple has always been vocal about their yearning for their two children to grow up grounded. In a recent interview with CALMzine , the official publication of British non-profit group Campaign Against Living Miserably, William opened up about their parenting style .
“Catherine and I are clear that we want both George and Charlotte to grow up feeling able to talk about their emotions and feelings. Over the past year we have visited a number of schools together where we have been amazed listening to children talk about some quite difficult subjects in a really clear and emotionally articulate way—something most adults would struggle with.”
The Duke of Cambridge said that for too long, anxiety has been equated to weakness. He said some would think that successful people shouldn’t show signs of suffering.
William and Kate, as well as Harry, are ambassadors for their mental health charity Heads Together. The brothers are keen to continue the causes their late mother, Princess Diana, supported when she was still alive.
[Featured Image by by Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty Images]
