As Prince George, 12, gets ready to leave Lambrook School this summer, attention is turning to where he will go next. Following Prince William’s revelation last week that his eldest son had already experienced a night of boarding at Lambrook, reports suggest the Prince and Princess of Wales have disagreed over George’s next move. While William, 43, is said to want to fully prepare their eldest for royal life, Kate, 44, is reportedly more concerned that he could miss out on the kind of normal childhood she wants to preserve for as long as possible.
‘As a future monarch, William is very conscious that George is at an age where his life will start becoming more structured toward that,’ an insider tells Closer.
‘There’s an understanding that things will change after this summer and there are things that William and Kate don’t see eye to eye on – there’s been some difficult conversations about what happens next. George’s future as King has become very real – and there’s a definite difference of opinion. William is very focused making sure George’s path to the throne is as smooth as possible, while Kate is desperately trying to keep hold of his old life for as long as she can.’
The source continues, ‘At home, he’s still just George. He loves being outside, messing around with his siblings and doing ordinary kid stuff. Kate holds onto that very tightly, because she knows these years are going by incredibly fast.’
On a recent radio appearance, William also gave a playful mention to Charlotte, 11, and Louis, eight, while confirming that George had been trying out boarding school life. Joking with his children about being late, William said, ‘Charlotte and Louis – because George was boarding last night – Charlotte and Louis, if you’re listening, make sure you’re on time, please, make sure you’re not fighting over who listens to what this morning.’
George is also already being linked with his next school, with Eton College — where William studied — seen as one possibility after Lambrook in July, while Oundle School in Northamptonshire is also widely rumoured. William himself grew up with royal expectations firmly in place. It has been said that when he was seven, he said he wanted to be a policeman, only for Harry to tell him he ‘has to be King’.
At 21, William described his role more directly, saying, ‘All these questions about do you want to be King? It’s not a question of wanting to be, it’s something I was born into and it’s my duty.’ Royal biographer Sarah Bradford wrote that, after a young William grew uneasy about the media attention around him, Princess Diana reassured him by saying, ‘You are going to go to school today and there’s going to be all these people who want to take your picture and if you are a good boy and you let them… then I’ll take you to Thorpe Park.’
Kate’s background was very different, with her ‘solidly middle-class’ upbringing reportedly shaped by ‘simple, traditional values’. She has also spoken about wanting to provide her children with a ‘happy home’, saying, ‘I had an amazing granny who devoted a lot of time to us – playing with us, doing arts and crafts and going to the greenhouse to do gardening, and cooking with us. And I try to incorporate a lot of the experiences that she gave us at the time into the experiences that I give my children now.’
Although William recently described Kate as an ‘amazing mum and wife who they ‘couldn’t cope without’ on radio, the source claims tensions remain behind the scenes over what is best for George. We’re told, ‘Kate wants him climbing trees, kicking a football around, and spending summers being a normal kid. She worries that once the royal machine starts, there’s no going back. But William is constantly thinking ahead. He knows exactly what it’s like growing up as the heir, and he strongly believes George needs to be prepared emotionally and mentally.’
The source continues, ‘William wants George to grow up understanding service, responsibility and public duty from a young age. There’s definitely a plan for George to use the summer productively – getting involved in charity work, outdoor challenges and things like the Duke of Edinburgh Award. William sees these experiences as preparation and Kate sees them as character-building and confidence-building. It sounds similar, but emotionally it’s coming from a very different place.’
The royal family has faced a difficult six years, including Megxit, the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal, and Kate and Charles’ separate cancer battles, and the source says those events have influenced how the Waleses are raising their children.‘ Going through cancer changed Kate’s priorities massively – family matters more than ever now. She sees how people look at George, not just as a child, but as a future monarch. That’s a huge thing for any parent to process,’ we’re told.
The source adds, ‘William wants to modernise the monarchy, but also protect it, and in his mind, preparing George properly is part of that. He wants George to understand what life is like for people outside the palace walls. But Kate’s instinct is always to slow things down and hang on to his childhood.’
The bust-up comes just weeks after Kate made her first triumphant return to overseas duties since recovering from an undisclosed form of cancer, and it was exactly what the thousands of well-wishers gathered in the streets of Reggio Emilia in Northen Italy had hoped for.Many had waited for hours to catch even a brief glimpse of the Princess, and they were not disappointed. Dressed in a striking blue Edeline Lee suit and welcomed by cheers from the crowds, Kate appeared to feel the warmth and affection of the Italian public. She arrived shortly after 1pm on 13 May and was received by Mayor Marco Massari and a large turnout of supporters. Outside, the Princess charmed fans by speaking Italian and kneeling down with a group of schoolchildren who had waited patiently to see her. She said, ‘I speak a bit of Italian. What is your name? I am Catarina,’ and a photo of the children was later shared on the Waleses’ official Instagram account. She then hugged supporters and posed for selfies before moving on to her official engagements.The visit was significant both personally and professionally, combining a brave step back into international travel with her long-standing commitment to early years development. And while the trip was heralded a triumph, as the wife and mother of the future Kings, uncertainty is something which no doubt is weighing heavy on the Princess.
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source closeronline.co.uk ’
