Prince George looked darling as he arrived for his first day of school at Thomas’s Battersea in London.
Both Photos ©Pool/i-Images
Shortly after 8 am this morning Kensington Palace announced Prince William would take his son to school.
Unfortunately, Kate wasn’t able to join William and George; she continues to suffer from Hyperemesis Gravidarum as a result of her third pregnancy. Here is this morning’s 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.
© Richard Pohle / WPA-Pool / James Whatling
You can imagine how disappointed Kate must have been at not being able to take part in George’s big day. From The Daily Mail’s story:
He was driven to £20,000-a-year Thomas’s Battersea, in south west London, from Kensington Palace strapped into a child seat in the rear of the family Range Rover.
William held his son’s hand tightly as they approached the door…
Below, the young Prince, looking adorable, albeit apprehensive, as he is welcomed by Helen Haslem, the Head of the Lower School.
A video of father and son arriving.
Parents will recognise this face… Prince George looked ever so nervous as he arrived for his first day of school https://t.co/fQOSqkK6jU pic.twitter.com/GIaEBv1zUb
— ITV News (@itvnews) September 7, 2017
The private school is located about a 30-minute drive from the Palace. More from The Daily Telegraph.
Thomas’s Battersea is a family-run establishment situated in an old grammar school in a well-to-do area of London, nicknamed Nappy Valley because of the large number of affluent families that live there.
From the Thomas’s website:
Thomas’s Battersea is a busy, thriving, purposeful school, educating 560 boys and girls between the ages of four and 13. As you would expect of any Thomas’s school, the most important school rule is to ‘Be Kind’. We offer a rich and broad curriculum, with Art, Ballet, Drama, ICT, French, Music and PE all taught by specialist teachers from a child’s first day in school.
Thomas’s also has schools in Kensington, Fulham and Clapham.
The Telegraph has more on how George will fit in:
Ben Thomas, who was headmaster of Thomas’s Battersea for 18 years, and is now Principle of Thomas’s London Day Schools, insisted that George would be treated like any other pupil. He said: “Our aim for him, as well as for all of our pupils, is to provide a safe and secure and happy environment where he feels supported by a kind and loving community. That’s all we will be trying to achieve for him.
© Richard Pohle / WPA-Pool / James Whatling
“The emphasis will be on a very, very gentle start. They start with half days and then the moment comes when they get to stay for lunch, which is a really big deal trying to balance their lunch on their trays.
“But the emphasis is on making sure they feel safe, they feel secure and they feel happy. If we get that in place, then they’ll start to explore.
A handshake for Ms. Haslem.
Like so many students on their first day, George looked a little anxious.
Another look at George as he arrives; from watching the video I *think* he was cupping his hand around his mouth and saying ‘hi’ or ‘hello,’ but it was difficult to tell.
Back to The Telegraph’s story:
He will be in a class of up to 22 children, with July baby George one of the youngest, all of whom spend just half a day there on their first day.
The Prince will be given his own coat peg with his name on and a desk.
William carried George’s new Rucksack. If you look closely at the photo of the back, you will see it is labeled with the name he will use at school, George Cambridge, shown on the upper right in this collage.
This may have brought back memories for Prince William of his days at Wetherby, the school attended by both William and Harry. Below, the brothers on their way to school in September 1989.
A quick video from Rebecca English of The Daily Mail shows the threesome as they enter the school.
Prince William stayed with #PrinceGeorge for around 40 minutes before leaving him at Thomas’s. Probably with a lump in his throat! pic.twitter.com/uxcOvWV6Ln
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) September 7, 2017
Now to what Prince George wore. His official Thomas’s uniform pieces included the Boys’ Pullover in a wool acrylic blend and the wool/poly Bermuda Shorts.
©Pool, i-Images/John Lewis
I’m not sure what shirt George is wearing, as it looks like his collar might have a tab. I’ve not found that shirt under the John Lewis Thomas’s items; it is possible the photo just makes the collar look odd, or the shirt is not shown in the online selection.
UPDATE: George’s shoes are required to be “black leather, polishable, laceless shoes.” It looks like his could be by Pisamonas, the brand’s School Moccasin style (£38.95 about $50). The only distinction between the product photo and George’s shoe is the gloss; George’s look like they might be shinier than the shoe seen in the product photo, which has more of a matte appearance.
Pisamonas/Polaris
Pisamonas is a Spanish company; all of its shoes are designed and manufactured in that country. I have contacted the company and hope to hear back from them before the end of the week. UPDATE Friday Sept 8: I have heard back from Pisamonas and the company says that based on recent orders, they believe George was wearing their shoes yesterday.
Like so many school British school uniforms, the Thomas’s ensemble is available at John Lewis (Peter Jones). Below you see the official (left to right) sports uniform pieces; the summer uniform items; on the far right, the boys’ winter uniform.
John Lewis
The school is very specific about what is required wear. Here is a list of “compulsory items of uniform” for the winter via John Lewis: “Red polo neck, Navy Bermuda shorts, Red/Navy day socks, Red paint smock, Navy pullover with school logo, Navy rucksack with school logo, Navy Logoed Reversible Coat – NEW.” Optional pieces include navy gloves, navy hat and navy scarf.
Below, the Waterproof Reversible Coat ($48.50 – $56.50) and Longsleeve Unisex Smock for art class ($17.50).
The required ballet items are available through the Royal Academy of Dance shop. If interested in more info, links to uniform lists are available on the Thomas’s website.
For details on how things went, here is more from The Daily Mail:
The Duke of Cambridge has said Prince George enjoyed a happy first day at school despite being forced to take him without his pregnant wife – but admitted other parents weren’t so lucky. Kate, 35, had hoped to join William on the school run but is suffering from severe morning sickness and was too ill to attend.
Speaking at a Kensington Palace reception for the England Under-20 football team today he told head coach Paul Simpson George had a ‘good day’ at his ‘nice school’, Thomas’s Battersea, in south west London.
He said: ‘It was really nice actually. 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 really is a shame Kate wasn’t able to take part in today’s school run, but the priority is obviously her health. I’m sure George will have loads of stories to share with her when he gets home.
© Richard Pole/NMA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris
A fun note comes via fashion and shopping site Racked.
Racked.com
From the story:
Yes, it is officially Fashion Month, with shows in New York kicking off today and those in London, Milan, and Paris to follow thereafter. But unfortunately, all remaining outfits are canceled for the rest of the season because Prince George already wore the best one.
In honor of the occasion today Kensington Palace released a new picture of George with Prince William.
©TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
LINKAGE:
- The Telegraph’s story is here; The Daily Mail story is here; The Mirror’s story is here; The Guardian’s story is here; The Evening Standard’s story is here; The Sun’s story is here
- People magazine’s story is here; PopSugar’s photo gallery is here; the Hello! story is here; Just Jared’s photo gallery is here
- You may want to revisit our original post about the Thomas’s uniform by contributing writer Brooke Nurthen.
I had just discovered that shoe brand the day he started school. I was looking for Spanish wholesale shoe companies online and I spotted the shoes. I was going to message you . Glad you found it. Re: the shirt he wore. I wonder if the tab under the collar is for attaching a tie or bow tie. Some children’s shirts have such a tab. I’m checking out a few similar ones.
I hope little George can get on with school now without being bothered. Oh and I think he was just rubbing his nose in that photo of him with his hand up to his face. He wasn’t saying anything. That’s my take on it. Regina .
I really like George’s new shoes, very city-slick, so I’m delighted it was possible to track down an ID. I think he also rocks the outsize jumper and baggy shorts look too, and it’s a bit of a break for the fashion sleuths when the origin for everything is a known school uniform.
I’m impressed with the practicality of the outfits, the smock looks like a very fit-for-purpose total cover-up — I can’t help thinking such a thing would work wonders for myself when baking :-/ The winter roll-necks look comfy and warm for winter, I’m glad school uniforms can be a bit more fun than back in my day.
So sweet! Love seeing these pics of George on his first day. I think my favorite part in the video is when William opens the door, the head of the school goes in, with George in tow, and George drags his father along, not letting go of his hand. It’s almost as if George is saying: “Nope! I’m not doing this without you Daddy! If I have to go in, you’re coming too!” So sweet!
So adorable. I also love that Prince George gives little nods to what his dad is saying as they walk towards the teacher. As a parent with their oldest just starting kindergarten a few weeks ago, I can imagine the first day feelings. He’s looking smart in his uniform. I hope he adapts well!