Princess Charlotte will join her older brother Prince George at the same £6,000-a-term school from September, Kensington Palace announced today.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge revealed they are planning to send their four-year-old daughter to Thomas’s Battersea in South-West London.
George, six, has been at the school for two years while his sister – who was four on May 2 – has attended Willcocks Nursery in Kensington since last January.
Simon O’Malley, headmaster at Thomas’s Battersea, said: ‘We are delighted that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have decided that Princess Charlotte will join her elder brother, Prince George, at Thomas’s Battersea. We greatly look forward to welcoming her and all of our new pupils to the school in September.’
The fees for George are £6,429 a term or £19,287 a year, while for Charlotte they will be £6,305 a term of £18,915 a year – the lower figure being due to a small discount given to a family’s second child.
Helen Haslem, head of the lower school, greets Prince George and the Duke of Cambridge at Thomas’s Battersea in London on September 7, 2017, as he starts his first day of school
Prince William arrives at the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in London with Prince George and Princess Charlotte to meet their new baby brother Louis in April last year
The school was chosen by Prince William and Kate for George because ‘it was the right fit for him’.
Established by David and Joanna Thomas 40 years ago, Thomas’s Battersea has described itself as being ‘happy, dynamic and vibrant’ and one that prides itself on its ‘excellent academic results’.
Its website says it is ‘a busy, thriving, purposeful school’ which offers a ‘rich and broad curriculum’.
Pupils are offered afterschool activities, including fencing, philosophy, gardening and pottery.
Princess Charlotte and Prince George arrive for the wedding of Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in October last year
Prince George and Princess Charlotte after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding at St George’s Chapel in May last year
Prince William and Kate with George, Charloote and Louis after the latter’s christening at St James’s Palace in London in July last year
Prince George and Princess Charlotte are pictured together in a photograph issued by Kensington Palace last Sunday
It was reported last year that the Cambridges may not send their children to ‘traditional’ secondary schools such as Eton.
A source was quoted as saying: ‘They are very keen to allow George to spread his wings as a child and won’t ever do what people expect them to do when it comes to their children.’
William and Kate have shunned traditional royal feeder schools in favour of Thomas’s Battersea, which is just across the River Thames from Kensington Palace.
The co-educational prep school is based in an old grammar school in an area dubbed ‘Nappy Valley’ because of its popularity with affluent young families – in large part bankers, journalists and ‘yummy mummies’.
Pupils at Thomas’s Battersea in South-West London are offered afterschool activities, including fencing, philosophy, gardening and pottery
Thomas’s prides itself on a ’rounded edu-cation’, with as much emphasis on kindness as academic results – although many of its 540 boys and girls, aged four to 13, go on to top public schools such as Eton.
Society magazine Tatler says it is populated by ‘pushy professional parents’.
However the Good Schools Guide describes it as ‘competitive’ and chosen by parents who want the ‘best education money can buy’.
All children are required to learn an instrument and there are two pottery rooms.
Its motto is ‘Be kind’ and there is great emphasis on kindness, confidence and humility, as well as academic results
While it might not boast the royal pedigree of Wetherby School, where William attended, Thomas’s does count some A-listers among its alumni.
Florence Welch, the lead singer of the indie group Florence and the Machine, attended before leaving for Alleyn’s School, in South East London.
Model Cara Delevingne and upcoming actress Céline Buckens are also reported to be among their former pupils.
The Tatler Schools Guide states: ‘It’s a balance to Thomas’s high-achieving, competitive side: exits to Bryanston, Marlborough and Bradfield last year; the school is feared on central London’s sporting circuit; the drama productions are impressive.
‘Entrance at 4+ is selective, with 60 places up for grabs (they close the list at 180 registrations). Lots of Chelsea and South Ken families here, who get very stuck into the community.’
Art, ballet, drama, ICT, French, music and physical education are all taught by specialist teachers from a child’s first day in school.