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William Takes George to His First Day of School

Prince George looked very snappy for his first day of school; he was accompanied by his father, the Duke of Cambridge.

© Richard Pohle / WPA-Pool / James Whatling

As feared, the Duchess was simply too ill to accompany them so William did solo drop-off duty on George’s big day. Kate continues to cope with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. The condition causes severe nausea, vomiting, dehydration and other serious, sometimes life-threatening problems. When expecting George the Duchess had to be hospitalized for treatment. There are reports Kate was treated at a hospital while visiting Balmoral last month. More from a Kensington Palace statement:

Unfortunately the Duchess of Cambridge remains unwell, and will not be able to accompany Prince George on his first day of school. The Duke of Cambridge will drop off Prince George this morning as planned.

A look at the scene this morning.

From The Guardian’s story:

A crowd of well-wishers had gathered outside the school gate to watch. The young prince arrived shortly before 8.50am and was driven through a side entrance and a security gate closed behind them.

From The Telegraph’s coverage:

Holding his father’s hand for reassurance, he glanced up only once as he walked across the car park, with the Duke appearing to give him a cheery pep talk along the way.

Showing diplomatic skills already practiced in his overseas Royal tours, the Prince took the outstretched hand of Helen Haslem, head of Thomas’ lower school, and shook it politely.

That is one of my favorite photos today, George looked ever so serious. Below, ITV’s video of George and William as they arrived at the school.


The young Prince was in his official Thomas’s uniform.

William chatted with his son as they approached the school, perhaps helping to minimize any apprehension or anxiety George might have been experiencing.

Rebecca English shared this video of the trio entering the school.

More about Thomas’s Battersea from The Daily Mail:

Set up 40 years ago, the school, a short drive from Kensington Palace, describes itself as being ‘happy, dynamic and vibrant’ and priding itself on its ‘excellent academic results’.

Its website describes it as a ‘busy, thriving purposeful school’ which has 540 boys and girls between the ages of four and 13, and its alumni include Cara Delevingne and Florence Welch.

Both parents were able to take George to his first day at Westacre Montessori School in January 2016.

©HRH The Duchess of Cambridge

This afternoon Prince William reported that things went well on George’s first day. More from The Telegraph:

The Duke later said Prince George had a “good day”, adding: “It was really nice actually. It’s a nice school.”

“It went well. There was one other parent who had more of an issue with their children – so I was quite pleased I wasn’t the one.”

It turns out George is not the only young royal attending Thomas’s. More from The Daily Mail:

Lord Frederick Windsor takes eldest daughter Maud to Thomas’s school in Battersea – and she’s in the same class as distant cousin George …not only will the eldest child of Lord Frederick Windsor be in the same school as the heir to the throne the youngsters are thought to be sharing a classroom too.

Frederick is the son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, with his father being cousin to the Queen. This makes Maud and George distant cousins who will have plenty of time to bond as they enter the school year.

The Daily Mail story has photos showing how cute Maud looks in her uniform. A ‘thank you’ to Betty Wales for sharing that info on the FB page!

In honor of today’s occasion, Kensington Palace tweeted nostalgic photos of Princes William and Harry on their first days at school. In the photo shown lower left you see the boys as they headed to Wetherby Pre-Prep in September 1989.

ITV has a video comparing George’s first day at school with the experiences William and Harry had in similar situations.

There was a lot of interest in the dress worn by the Lower School Head, Helen Haslem.

It turns out she was in a frock from LK Bennett, the retailer’s Amana Dress. It is available in limited sizing on the LK Bennett US site ($425); in almost all sizes on the John Lewis US site (where it is just $334); and at Zalando’s UK site. A Tip of the Tiara to Marian on the WKW Facebook page and Evangelina on Twitter for IDing the dress.

LK Bennett/Polaris

Several WKWers on Facebook and Twitter noted the similarity between this dress and Kate’s Alexander McQueen first seen in Australia in 2014. I didn’t make an immediate connection but can see how it would make a nice repliKate.

Alexander McQueen / Polaris / LK Bennett

For many more photos and much more info, including details on what George wore, visit our sister site, What Kate’s Kids Wore. We’ll leave you with the new photo of George and William released today by Kensington Palace.

TRH The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge

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gina in alabama

Tuesday 12th of September 2017

In the fourth photo, they could both be looking at a helicopter or an aircraft flying by. Their heads are at the same angle as they are looking up, and we know they both love aircraft! what a sweet pic. thanks for this blog.

Becka

Monday 11th of September 2017

Helen Haslem is very graceful. Judging by the ways she moves and carries herself she has had training in ballet.

sue d

Monday 11th of September 2017

I too have a similar thought. Love her dress. What brand are the flats?

ElizaMo

Sunday 10th of September 2017

I think George wears his new uniform very well, I love the photo of him at KP looking quite the debonair. He has inherited a lot of natural grace which goes a long way to enhancing any outfit.

Thanks too for the ID on the LKB dress worn by his welcoming teacher. Looks to me like LKB have quite intentionally done an all-round Kate lookalike, it also reminded me in part of the matron-of-honour outfit Kate wore to Pippa's wedding as well. The comparison may have come to mind as in both cases I don't think the colour quite suits the wearer, being of a pallid nature which succeeds in draining the wearer's own colour from her face.

It's also a pretty bland design and not a patch on the McQueen tailoring of Kate's outfits. But a very wearable item for lesser mortals in an everyday context.

Kate

Saturday 9th of September 2017

Love the pink dress on Helen the school lady. Does however remind me of the value of a well fitted bra!

Katie

Friday 8th of September 2017

Hi! Any idea what brand/style shoe William is wearing?

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