Prince George may be the only future king at his upmarket London day school but the quirky new headteacher is making sure every single pupil masters a perfect royal handshake.
Simon O’Malley, the man tasked with overseeing four-year-old George’s development, has come to Thomas’s, Battersea, equipped with a motto: ‘Shake with your eyes’.
Parents at the 53-year-old head’s previous school have revealed how Mr O’Malley also keeps an eye on the smartest parents at the school gate – reserving a wink for those who cut the mustard.
The widely-respected head spent 11 years at Wellesley House in Broadstairs, Kent, a day and boarding prep school where he and his stylish wife Katy commanded a huge ‘yummy mummy’ following.
‘Ask any child who’s been through Mr O’Malley’s school what they remember most and they’ll say: ‘Shake with your eyes”, said one parent.
Silver fox: Simon O’Malley is Prince George’s new headteacher and comes with a motto: ‘Shake hands with your eyes’
Shake with your eyes: Simon O’Malley, pictured above with his wife Katy, urges pupils to maintain good eye contact when they are shaking hands
First day nerves: Prince George looked shy on his first day at Thomas’s Battersea last month, where headteacher Mr O’Malley and his art teacher wife Katy will oversee his development
‘It was his headmasterly mantra. He would never miss an opportunity to hammer home the importance of making the best possible first impression when shaking hands.
‘He’d urge pupils who were about to meet a VIP or have an interview at their next school to grip firmly whilst maintaining eye contact at all times.’
Mr O’Malley – nicknamed the ‘silver fox’ on Tatler’s ‘hottest headteachers’ list – will become a key figure in the young prince’s life as custodian of his preparation for Eton College, which he will join at 13 if George follows in his father’s footsteps.
The father of two grown up children, a son and a daughter, Mr O’Malley shares William and Harry’s love of Africa, having taught for seven years at the Banda School in Kenya in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
After returning to Britain with his wife he joined Newland House in Twickenham in 1994, became Deputy Head of Beaudesert Park in 1997 and was appointed Headmaster of Wellesley House in 2006.
A mother at Wellesley House said: ‘Mr O’M is a noticer. Chatting to parents watching a school cricket match, or on the touchline of a rugby game, he may appear to be giving his full and very charming attention, but one eye will be seeking out a great catch or brave tackle from a new boy or a kid in need of a confidence boost.
‘He has a lovely sense of humour. He never speaks down to the children and expects them to be respectful.
‘The only time you see him cross is if a child has breached his code of fairness by, for example, scribbling on a cricket bat in indelible pen.’
Smiles of excitement: Prince George was taken to school on his first day by Prince William, as Kate was suffering from severe morning sickness. Mr O’Malley will become a key figure in the young prince’s life as custodian of his preparation for his next school, possibly Eton
Holding hands with teacher: The nervous prince George was escorted into Thomas’s Battersea last month by the head of lower school Helen Haslem. Describing Mr O’Malley a parent at his former school said: ‘He never speaks down to the children and expects them to be respectful’
However Kate, who is pregnant with her third child but wants to take George on the school run, will need to keep up appearances at the gates, they advised.
‘He has an eye for clothes. He would appreciate unusual shoes, a pretty colour or the embroidery detail on a lapel.
‘He’s not a flirt, but a compliment like that would make all the mothers up their game on the clothes and accessories front.’
Mr O’Malley’s wife Katy will be an art teacher at Thomas’s – and is likely to amass a following of her own.
‘Mrs O’M has great dress sense and often wears well-cut, calf-length skirts and wedges.
‘You’d find other mothers emulating her unobtrusive style, almost as if they were wearing a uniform themselves.’
Mr O’Malley has previously told how his own experience as an ex-pat pupil means he keeps in close touch with parents by email.
He told the Telegraph: ‘I might watch somebody play rugby and know that somebody else’s parent is on the touchline and can say ‘well done’ but the expat’s parent isn’t there to say that.
‘So I might send an email saying ‘Johnny has done a great tackle’, so they can say that to their child. It might just be one or two lines but that kind of communication makes such a difference.’
Thomas’s Battersea has 560 boys and girls aged from four to 13, with around 20 in each class.
Handshake: Prince George is greeted by Head of Lower School Helen Haslem. Thomas’s Battersea has 560 boys and girls aged from four to 13, with around 20 in each class
Reputation: The Good Schools’ Guide describes Mr O’Malley as ‘ambitious and enthusiastic; generated an energy and buzz about his previous school. Much-liked and respected by parents’
Its school rule is ‘be kind’ and the Good Schools’ Guide describes Mr O’Malley as ‘ambitious and enthusiastic; generated an energy and buzz about his previous school. Much-liked and respected by parents’.
One mother added: ‘Mr O’M really does spot potential, inside and out of the classroom.
‘If a child shows even a scrap of artistic ability or hits the notes in a singing class, he will encourage his or her talent and take it all the way.
‘There’s a massive buzz among Wellesley parents at the moment.
‘Dropping into conversation that our children were educated by the same head as our future king is worth every penny of the huge fees in terms of social cachet!’
Thomas’s declined to comment.