With back-to-school season upon us, parents and their children are making their way back to the school gates for the start of a fresh year. Though the calendar of the royal ladies is set to ramp up this week after many took time away from public view in August to recoup, they have many wondering if they personally head out on a blustery September morning to take their children to school, or if it’s a job for the nanny.
The answer is it’s a mix of both! On important occasions such as the Prince and Princess of Wales’ daughter Princess Charlotte’s first day at school, both her parents were in attendance to embark on this milestone with her. Meanwhile, others, including the Duchess of Edinburgh, have kept things a little more on the down low, remaining out of the public eye if she did take her children, Lady Louise, now 21, and James, Earl of Wessex, now 17, to school.
© AARON CHOWNThe Wales kids used to go to Thomas’ Battersea
The Princess of Wales
In 2019, the Prince and Princess of Wales were all smiles as they arrived at the gates of Thomas’s Battersea, a prep school in London, for Princess Charlotte’s first day. The little princess held onto her mother’s hand as she headed in alongside her brother, Prince George, who was seven at the time. Kate dressed smartly for the occasion, sporting a floral Michael Kors dress and navy heels. Charlotte was seen following in her parents’ polite footsteps from a young age as she greeted Helen Haslem, head of the lower school, with a sweet handshake.
© Getty ImagesGeorge, Charlotte, and Louis attend Lambrook School
Three years later, it was Prince Louis’ time to join his siblings at school. By this time, the Wales children had moved from their home at Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Home Park estate, meaning a move to Lambrook School near Ascot. The family of five were all giggling as they arrived hand-in-hand for a settling-in afternoon at their new school. “The Prince and Princess of Wales are regulars on the school run, and we learnt that when Kate was undergoing cancer treatment last year, William planned his diary of engagements around the children’s school pick-up and drop-off times,” HELLO!’s Online Royal Correspondent, Danielle Stacey, adds.
Meanwhile, fellow school mum and star of The Real Housewives of London, Panthea Parker, recently told HELLO!: “I see her quite a few times because my son’s school plays against her son’s school. I do see her a lot, but not to talk to, just from afar. So classy, so lovely, and she never misses any of her children’s matches, so really amazing.”
© ShutterstockWilliam and Harry went to Wetherby in Notting Hill
Princess Diana
Princess Diana was known for her nurturing nature, especially towards her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. The late royal was pictured on a number of occasions on the school run, including this sweet moment from April 1990, where the trio were pictured outside Wetherby School with the little princes in their uniforms. Diana was the coolest mum at the school as she rocked a printed shift dress and a chocolate brown suede bomber jacket.
© GettyHow cute were Beatrice and Eugenie as they headed off to Upton!
Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York, made an appearance for her youngest daughter, Princess Eugenie’s first day at Upton School in Windsor in 1994. Eugenie showed off the cutest grin as she donned her navy blue uniform, including a tiny blazer and boater hat, alongside her sister Princess Beatrice, who carried a pink backpack.
© InstagramMeghan splits drop-off duties with her nanny
Meghan Markle
On an appearance on the Jamie Kern Lima Show podcast, the Duchess of Sussex revealed if fellow mothers at the schools of her children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, can expect to see her doing the school run. Speaking about her morning routine, Meghan Markle “If I don’t have meetings in the morning, then I try to do school drop off. They’re at two different schools, so that’s a big circuit,” she explained. “So from 6.30 in the morning on drop-off mornings for me, I’m not home till 9. And then after that, I’ll just jump into meetings. And then on other days, then I’ll wake up and get them all set, and then our amazing nanny, who’s been with us for five years, she’ll take them to school.”
