I spent all of yesterday thinking “I could get used to this whole ‘not working on Monday’ thing.” But at the end of the day, Tuesday was just as garbage as any given Monday and now I’m all turned around and I still don’t know what friggin’ day it is. I thought today was Princess Charlotte’s first day of big-kid school and that we would have cute new Cambridge-kid photos. But no, Charlotte’s first day of school is tomorrow. The Duchess of Cambridge missed Prince George’s first day of big-kid school in 2017 because she was pregnant and sick as a dog. But she’ll be there, with Prince William, tomorrow at Thomas’s Battersea, for Charlotte’s first day. People Magazine did a nice little piece about how Princess Charlotte will not be called “princess” by classmates or teachers:
There will be no “Your Royal Highness” in the classroom for Princess Charlotte! The 4-year-old royal will follow in big brother Prince George‘s footsteps on Thursday, joining him at the $23,000-a-year Thomas’s Battersea — and just like the future king, she won’t be getting the royal treatment during the school day.
To her classmates, Princess Charlotte will be just another kid. Instead of addressing Kate Middleton and Prince William‘s daughter by her royal title, she’ll simply be known as Charlotte. (Perhaps close friends will call her Lottie, the adorable nickname previously revealed by Kate!)
When it comes to the matter of her last name, things are a little trickier. But if she follows her brother George’s lead, she’ll be known as Charlotte Cambridge. Prince William and Prince Harry went by William Wales and Harry Wales during their own school days, as well as their years in the armed forces. Why? Because their father, Prince Charles, is the Prince of Wales. It’s an homage to their father’s title, for occasions when “Prince” just feels a bit too formal.
Isn’t George’s nickname “PG”? Isn’t that what his parents and his school friends call him too? But sure, of course kids don’t know about royal titles! I’m sure that the school will just aim to call her Charlotte Cambridge or Lottie Cambridge but I’m also sure that Charlotte will remind everyone that she’s a princess. Come on, she totally knows.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red and KensingtonRoyal social media.
She doesn’t need the title. Cambridge is all she needs, but I agree she will rule the roost regardless of where she is. Can’t wait to see how she grows up. Children have a way of doing 180s.
I know! I wish she’d been born first.
She is such a cute little muffin.
She really is adorable
It’s just wild how much she looks like young Lizzie.
You think?? I see total young William in her.
I don’t see any Elizabeth in her either, especially not young Elizabeth. She’s a spitting image of William and looks exactly like he did at the same age. The eyes in particular are the same.
To me, she is the spitting image of Pippa.
She looks so much like a young Pippa! I just searched some old photos of Pippa at a birthday party and a wedding, and she could be a clone of her aunt.
I think she is the image of QE2. It’s all in the eyes.
Agree with you FHMom!
No matter how much I squint or cock my head, I can’t see young, teen or older Elizabeth, either. To me, Charlotte looks like Charlotte.
Sarah Chatto is the queen’s clone. 🙂 Charlotte doesn’t look like Elizabeth at all. I can see some of William when she sticks out her tongue.
There were articles when George first started Thomas’s Battersea that he would be known as George Cambridge to his classmates so this isn’t anything new.
I would 100% be telling all my friends that I am a Princess and they can feel free to call me that.
I mean, I still occasionally do that and I am not a princess.
Meghan, I’m with you! Occasionally my daughter already asks me, “Would you like fries with that, Princess?” 😉
When mine was 4 or 5, she insisted that she was a Queen, so she outranked the Princesses and got to make the rules. I replied that I was an Empress and no one out ranks the Empress, so yes, she did have to pick up her toys and put them away.
The dog (a shelter mutt), however, was actually named “Duchess” and was a bit better at doing what she was told to do.
No one ever calls me princess, but sometimes I wear a crown 👑 anyhow.
I prefer tinfoil tiaras!
Seriously, she’s 4 and a real princess, I wouldn’t be surprised if she used it either. When she gets older she’ll get sick of it too, but now it’s probably cool. Prince George if he hears it will tell her not to do that, but you know she won’t care. The kids won’t care either, and she really is so cute. I bet George and Charlotte have a cute relationship and you know Louis is the comic relief. You could just tell from when he was wearing the sunglasses and trying to make Meghan laugh.
I wonder if they will switch to Wales when William becomes PoW, or if they will stick with Cambridge?
Anyway this isn’t anything new but I am looking forward to seeing their back to school pics.
I imagine with that being ever on the horizon, they’ll keep it. I mean, it’s unlikely the ol’ Paedo Protector is going to kick around until Louis finishes school. Though evil things to seem to live longer.
Doesn’t he get to keep the Duke of Cambridge title too? Just wondering if he gives that back.
Is the Duke of Cambridge a hereditary title that will pass to George?
Yes, William will keep the title Duke of Cambridge but Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall are more senior titles. William will use the most senior title Prince of Wales just like George V went from Duke of York to Prince of Wales.
When William becomes King William IV, the peerage Duke of Cambridge will merge back with the crown. At a much later date, I bet that Louis will be made Duke of Cambridge.
I think Louis gets Duke of York eventually. Cambridge was used because they really hadn’t had grandsons of a monarch reaching adulthood since Victoria so they were running out of titles.
@Nic – I partially think you’re right, Louis will be Duke of York, except that if he gets married at 30, let’s say, Andrew may very well still be alive, so no DoY title to give out. Also, it may have lost some, ahem, shine, at that point, so maybe it skips a generation?
William will not become Prince of Wales when Charles becomes king. It is not an automatic title. Charles will have to confer the title Prince of Wales on William. It is the choice of Charles if he does this.
From what I read about the school, it’s for the kids of hedge fund daddies and yummy mummies so those kids are gonna KNOW who George and Lottie Cambridge are.
NB: Plenty of children at that school have wealthy powerful mothers and stay-at-home dads.
Of course they will, it’s inevitable.
They wouldn’t have to be the kids of hedge fund daddies and yummy mummies to know whose kids they are for goodness sake.
You know all the other parents will be encouraging lifelong friendships to begin now!
Thank you. That was my point.
Everyone- kids included- know who the royals are. It’s not like regular peasants send their kids there. Only royals, royal adjacents and rich people can afford that tuition. Personally, I think it’s dumb to call her Charlotte Cambridge. Just stick with Windsor. But then no one asked me so…
My guess is if she and all the Royals use their Windsor last name, they will be viewed as just commoners in an extended family. Instead you have to pretend that the kids will have a common last name like Cambridge but still stand out as special because only William’s children can use that last name. It’s kind of like a silly wink and a nod. LOL.
I love Charlotte, she is super cute and has a sparkling personality!
I don’t know $23,000 a year seems cheap. Upper crust NY preschools are a lot more 40K at least and DC upper crust ones same.
I agree, that’s less than our daycare in Massachusetts.
I was just going to post a similar comment. I live in a pretty inexpensive Midwest city, and plenty of my friends pay that or more for tuition for their kids. Also, for some reason I thought that they all went by Windsor-Mountbatten?
Agree it seems cheap but salaries are generally lower in the UK so comparatively it’s still pricey
The top private elementary schools (pre-K to 8th grade) in NYC are over $50k for this year. It’s insane.
My brother teaches at a private school in another large US city. The tuition for the lower school is just under $26K and for grades 6-12 it’s just under $30K. Also insane, just not quite as WTF.
I actually can’t believe this, $23,000 per year is cheap??? That’s how much 2 years of university cost me. Maybe it’s just a cultural thing, but why don’t they go to a public school, why is it such a big deal to go to these exclusive private schools that only the rich can afford? If you don’t have a chance to learn and grow up with people of different classes and ethnicities, your perspective will remain narrow and you will only see things through the lens of that world.
@blue36 – They go to these schools to stay away from the plebs
She’s adorable. I hope she settles well into the school
Of course to her classmates she’d just be Charlotte, kids don’t care.
A lot of these children will have famous mums and dads, so it’s not like they’ve never been around cameras either. Which is sort of horrifying but true.
I like CC (Cece) 😉
Nice