We have news from Kensington Palace about George and Charlotte taking part in their Aunt Pippa’s wedding. Today the Palace confirmed both children will be members of the wedding party.
Kensington Palace via Peter Hunt, BBC
Below, Pippa Middleton and fiancée James Matthews are seen last August after attending church services at Sandringham.
©Polaris
The Princess, who will be 2 in May, will be a bridesmaid; older brother George will be a pageboy.
© Matt Porteous via Kensington Palace / HRH The Duchess of Cambridge
Clearly, this one has the potential to break the internet or at least the Cute-o-Meter. The young Royals can get plenty of tips from their mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, as well as the bride-to-be, Aunt Pippa. The sisters were bridesmaids at their uncle’s 1991 wedding.
©SWNS / Splash News
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Now to our primary topic, what George will be wearing when he starts school this fall. A Kensington Palace announcement last month revealed plans for the Prince to attend Thomas’s Battersea School.
Kensington Palace Twitter (@KensingtonRoyal)
The move to a London school is part of the Cambridges increasing presence in the capital, as outlined by the Palace earlier this year.
“From this autumn, however, The Duke and Duchess will increasingly base their family at Kensington Palace. As they have in recent years, Their Royal Highnesses are keen to continue to increase their official work on behalf of The Queen and for the charities and causes they support, which will require greater time spent in London. Prince George will begin school in London in September and Princess Charlotte will also go to nursery and eventually school in London as well.”
The school is a 15-minute drive across the Thames from the Cambridges London home, Kensington Palace. While many had expected Prince George to attend his father and uncle’s former school, Wetherby, William and Kate have instead decided on a coeducational school for the Prince, and it’s likely Princess Charlotte will join him there in years to come.
Thomas’s Battersea
Until now, Prince George has attended nursery school at Westacre Montessori School, near the family’s Norfolk home. Many readers will recall the young Prince’s first day at nursery school and photos taken by the Duchess of Cambridge.
©HRH The Duchess of Cambridge
George will start at Thomas’s in September, so we can expect to see him in his summer uniform on his first day. Navy Bermuda shorts, a light blue shirt, and navy knit wool/acrylic pullover with red trim and an embroidered logo make up the ensemble, available at John Lewis. The shirts are a cotton/poly blend, while the sweater seen on the left is wool and acrylic; prices for these styles run from $9 – $38.50.
©John Lewis
Come winter; the light blue shirt will swap out for a 100% cotton red polo neck (known as a turtleneck in the US), long red and navy socks in a wool mix, and an insulated, reversible rain jacket. These items are priced $18 to $46.
©John Lewis
The uniform list also calls for a pair of black leather, polishable, laceless shoes. If the Duchess chooses one of her favored shoe brands, we could see George in a pair of aptly-named “Will” shoes from Start-Rite, or perhaps a smarter style like the Max Loafer from Papouelli – another brand George has previously sported.
©Start-rite / Papouelli
True to British upper class form (see our post on the subject here), boys at Thomas’s do not wear trousers until year 3. George will be in Bermuda shorts and long socks year-round until that year, nor is he required to wear a tie until year 3. Those among us with keen eyes and sharp memories will note a strong difference between the comparatively casual Thomas’s uniform and the blazer-and-tie combination sported by Princes William and Harry in photos from their Wetherby days, seen below on their school steps in September 1989 (A whole 28 years ago – now who’s feeling old?).
© Robin Nunn/Nunn Syndication/Polaris
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A quick update on our three Charlotte UFOs: The navy coat worn to Christmas church services.
© Pete MacLaine, i-Images/Pete MacLaine, i-Images, Polaris
And the dresses worn to Trooping the Colour and the family’s arrival in Canada.
©Polaris / Splash
After hours of looking online, emailing and phoning retailers and possible manufacturers of those three items of clothing, we still come up empty handed. There was thought that Spanish childrenswear brand Ancar made Charlotte’s coat, but that isn’t the case. My guess is these are probably pieces made just for the Princess. I could well be wrong, but I think one of us would have discovered at least one of the pieces along the way. The best part of this search has been the ideas and assistance from you, and from our friends on the WKKW Facebook page. I will keep searching but didn’t want to leave this out there unresolved.
A big ‘thank you’ to Brooke Nurthen for her stellar coverage of George’s uniform; we are looking forward to more pieces by Brooke here at WKKW.
Exciting news for the two Cambridge tinies to take starring roles at Auntie Pippa’s wedding – and a delightful and natural way for Kate to be included in a ceremony in which she can’t take a formal part. I’m guessing she can’t even wear a new outfit for fear of overshadowing the bride.
But not so George and Charlotte, who may well go on to steal the show themselves. I still can’t quite believe that such an occasion might not be overwhelming for a two-year-old, but Charlotte may be made of sterner royal stuff than that. It will be such a treat to see the pictures, which I sincerely hope will be formal professional shots and not from intrusive paps trying to sneak their way along to the church.
As soon as I saw that uniform I decided the reason for picking out the school was the navy blue jumpers – George already having a handy supply! I still find the idea of small boys having to wear shorts in cold weather a weird ‘tradition’ to keep up. This is simply throwback to the 1950s, it seems to me if anyone was going to be really traditional they should go the whole hog and put small boys in full length dresses as sued to be the case in earlier centuries.
Still, George’s uniform looks quite a bit more up-to-date and child friendly than William’s more formal outfit. I’m also glad to see that tie-wearing has also been dropped from the early years and I especially like those loafers you’ve picked out, it would be great fun if you turn out to be spot on!
Too bad the Charlotte sleuthing has failed to find a label despite everyone’s efforts. I think I’m happy to stick with your theory of custom-made.