The “very tight” bond between Prince George and his younger sister Princess Charlotte may impact on Prince William and Princess Kate’s decision to send their eldest child to Eton, according to a royal expert.
Discussions about George’s schooling have arisen ahead of his tenth birthday this weekend, as earlier this year he was spotted being taken on a tour of his father’s old school with both his parents.
However as Eton is boys only, Charlotte would be unable to follow her brother there when the time comes for her to attend secondary school.
Royal Editor at Vanity Fair Katie Nicholl told True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat that the question of the young heir’s education had still not been settled.
She said: “I know William’s always been very keen for George to follow in his footsteps and go to Eton…[but Catherine] was of course at Marlborough, she was there with her siblings and that is a co-ed school and co-ed has always been really important for her.”
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She added: “You rarely see George on official engagements without the support of his little sister. They are clearly very tight, and Charlotte is the ultimate support act in a way that Princess Anne has always been for Charles.
“If he goes to Eton, obviously she will have to go somewhere else. [William and Catherine] have kept them together all this time and chosen co-ed, Catherine was very happy at co-ed and loved her time at Marlborough so it will be a massive decision, and it will be a big thing if he goes to Eton.”
William and Kate have always been praised for putting their children first and trying to give them as normal an upbringing as possible, however this may soon have to change.
As they became Prince and Princess of Wales after the death of Queen Elizabeth last year they now hold more senior roles in the Firm and as such their royal duties may have to take precedence.
Speaking to OK! Magazine former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said she believes the late Queen and King Charles “fully supported” the couple’s more hands-on way of bringing up their young family.
But now she explained that “duty is beginning to take over” as there are “fewer royals to go round”.
There are currently only four working royals under the age of 70 – Kate, William and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, who have also stepped up to the plate in recent months.
Hopefully Kate will still have time to cook up a birthday treat for George as he turns 10 on Saturday.
The 41-year-old previously revealed: “I love making the cake. It’s become a bit of a tradition that I stay up until midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing and I make far too much. But I love it.”
