The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to move their family to Windsor, with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis all starting at the same new school, it was announced on Monday.
The royal couple are moving to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor’s Home Park, and the children will join the co-educational private Lambrook School near Ascot in Berkshire in September.
Kensington Palace said in a statement that the duke and duchess were “hugely grateful” to Thomas’s Battersea Prep School where George and Charlotte had a “happy start to their education” and were “pleased to have found a school for all three of their children which shares a similar ethos and values to Thomas’s”.
What is Lambrook School?
Lambrook is a prestigious prep school with 615 boys and girls aged 3 to 13.
It educates children mostly from "professional and business backgrounds" who live within 15 minutes of the school, according to the latest inspection report.
It's set over 21 hectares in the Berkshire countryside, with features including a private orchard and a nine-hole golf course within the grounds.
There are also other facilities such as a 25-metre swimming pool, a cricket pitch, sports courts, a performing arts and dance studios, plus a sports hall.
There's a focus on sustainability within the curriculum, and as part of that the Lambrook Orchard is home to pigs, chickens, rabbits, bees and lambs. Children take beekeeping lessons, grow fruit and vegetables, as well as build and install bird houses.
What are the fees?
Annual school fees for children of Prince George's age are £20,997 ($24,719), while for Princess Charlotte's age group it's £19,344 and for Prince Louis, it's £13,167.
The day and boarding school offers weekly and flexi boarding for the older two children — where they can opt for a night’s stay as and when they choose, but George and Charlotte will be day pupils for now.
Overall, William and Kate will be spending in excess of £53,000 a year on their children’s private education.
The history of Lambrook
There has been a private school at Winkfield Row since 1860, according to the Lambrook website. That's when Robert Burnside acquired Lambrook House and aimed to tutor the sons of courtiers of Windsor Castle.
In 1878, two of Queen Victoria's grandsons — Prince Christian Victor and Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstein — became pupils at Lambrook, and Queen Victoria would travel between Windsor and the school to watch them play in cricket matches.
Lambrook evolved into a popular preparatory school for boys who would board. In 1992, it began to accept day pupils and the co-educational pre-prep opened soon after.
Five years later, it merged with Haileybury Junior School in Windsor, which also educated boys aged 7 to 13 on a day and boarding basis.
In 2009, Lambrook, which by then also had a nursery, became independent again and is now a charitable trust.
The Good Schools Guide describes how youngsters get to “run and run” in vast grounds with “total freedom to explore, provided you’ve got your wellies on”, with Lambrook’s pastoral care described as excellent.
Jonathan Perry, headmaster at Lambrook, said we “very much look forward to welcoming the family, as well as all of our new pupils, to our school community”.
This is the first time Lambrook has been chosen for a future king and his siblings.
Royal children at the platinum jubilee — in pictures
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Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and her son Prince Louis attending the platinum jubilee pageant in London, marking the end of the celebrations Britain's Queen Elizabeth. Reuters -
Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Savannah Phillips eat sweets during the pageant held outside Buckingham Palace. AP -
The Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William at the pageant. Reuters -
Princess Eugenie with her son, August, and husband Jack Brooksbank, behind the Duchess of Gloucester and Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London Ken Olisa during the platinum jubilee pageant on day four of the celebrations. PA -
Kate and Prince Louis enjoy the pageant in London. AFP -
Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Reuters -
The Duchess of Cornwall laughs with Prince Louis, who is on Prince Charles's lap, during the pageant. PA -
Prince Louis hugs his mother Kate. AP -
Prince George, Prince Louis and Prince William on day four of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. PA -
Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince William and his wife Kate wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace at the end of the platinum pageant in London. AFP -
Prince George, right, and Princess Charlotte watch the platinum jubilee concert taking place in front of Buckingham Palace. AP -
Guests attend the BBC's Platinum Party at the Palace in front of Buckingham Palace, among them Prince William, Princess Charlotte and Prince George, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie. Reuters -
Princess Charlotte and Prince George, right, enjoying the Platinum Party at the Palace. Reuters -
The Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte and Prince George during the Platinum Party at the Palace. PA -
The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte are seen during their visit to Cardiff Castle as a part of the royal family's tour for Queen Elizabeth's platinum jubilee celebrations. Reuters -
Princess Charlotte and her father the Duke of Cambridge look at a collage by artist Nathan Wyburn depicting the queen, at Cardiff Castle. PA -
Princess Charlotte laughs as she conducts a band next to her brother Prince George during their visit to Cardiff Castle. Reuters -
Princess Charlotte looks out of the window at Buckingham Palace. Reuters -
Left to right: Prince George, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Mia Grace Tindall watch the Trooping of the Colour ceremony at Horse Guards Parade on day one of the platinum jubilee celebrations. PA -
Prince Charles, left, with the queen, Prince Louis her grandson, covering his ears with his hands, next to Kate and Princess Charlotte, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. AP -
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, along with Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Reuters -
Kate, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis watch the Trooping the Colour ceremony. Reuters -
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, second right, talks to Prince Louis who is pulling a funny face, as they stand with the queen and Princess Charlotte to watch a special flypast from the Buckingham Palace balcony. AFP -
Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte ride in an open carriage on The Mall during the platinum jubilee celebrations. EPA -
Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte ride in a horse-drawn carriage during the Trooping the Colour parade. Reuters
