As many of us return to work after the big Christmas break, so have our children, who'll be excited to catchup with all their classmates on their first day back at school. The same goes for the Royal Family, including the Cambridge kids who will be settling in for a day of learning at their school, Thomas's Battersea. But, while most kids their age will be eagerly awaiting break time with their bestie, it seems the rules are a little different when you're a royal.
In fact, according to one royal expert, Princess Charlotte "isn't allowed" to have a best friend – and for very good reason. Speaking on ITV's Loose Women, Jane Moore revealed some of the strict rules at Thomas's Battersea, where Charlotte is currently in Year Two.
"They don't encourage you to have best friends," Moore explained of the school's rules. "There are signs everywhere saying 'be kind', that's the ethos of the school."
She continued: "There's a policy that if your child is having a party, unless every child in the class is invited you don’t give out the invites in class, which I think is quite a good thing as you don’t feel excluded."
"It's a really great little school actually," Moore added. "It really focuses on kindness, it's a really big thing in that school and the pastoral care is amazing."
But, according to the expert, it's not just the Cambridge kids who are expected to make friends with everyone, their parents are encouraged to get involved too.
"It's a school that really expects parental involvement," Moore pointed out. "The parents are very heavily involved in the school so they [Kate Middleton and Prince William] will be as well." It's no wonder then, that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are often photographed dropping the kids off on the school run.
Notably, on six-year-old Charlotte's first day at the school, Kate had some touching words of encouragement for her daughter, reportedly telling her: "George will help lead the way."
According to Hello! magazine, George regularly looks out for his younger sister at Thomas's, where he is currently in Year Four. "Prince George is a very protective and lovely older brother," royal biographer Penny Junor said. "I'm sure he'll look after his little sister and take great pride in showing her the ropes."
How sweet!?
Jade Biggs (she/her) is Cosmopolitan UK's Features Writer, covering everything from breaking news and latest royal gossip, to the health and fitness trends taking over your TikTok feed. She also works on first-person features and investigative long-reads, taking a deep-dive into mental health, celebrity culture and women's rights. Jade has been a journalist and content writer for ten years, and has interviewed leading researchers and doctors, high-profile influencers and fitness experts. She is a cat mum to four fur babies and is obsessed with Drag Race, bottomless brunches and wearing clothes only suitable for Bratz dolls. Follow her on Instagram or Twitter.
