William and Kate called to 'break historic tradition' with George, Charlotte and Louis

The Prince and Princess of Wales have often forged their own path when it comes to their royal roles. They have regularly broken traditions, whether through their controversial wedding guest list or their family ritual that the late Queen Elizabeth II 'couldn't stand'.

And when it comes to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis' schooling, it seems that William and Kate may be preparing to break another long-standing royal custom: boarding school. According to reports, the prospect of George following in William and Harry's footsteps by enrolling at Eton is one that has caused some tension between the Wales' over the years.

Former BBC Royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror: "From the reports we've had, it certainly seems that William and Catherine have undertaken a great deal of research into the best school for George - and, perhaps, the other children. I think it's quite likely that, after the year they have had - and how unsettling it must have been for George and the other children, no matter how hard their parents tried to lessen the trauma of cancer - that they would all feel happier and more secure if they could remain as a tight family unit."

As Kate slowly returns to work and resumes her royal duties, the Princess is said to be discussing George's future with William. While he is keen for George to attend Eton as he did, Kate preference is a co-education school like Marlborough College, where she was once enrolled.

However, according to Bond, the family could abandon royal tradition completely. Discussing George, Charlotte and Louis' futures, she continued: "Personally, I think it would be brilliant if they completely broke with tradition and, indeed, their own school background and sent all three the children to a day school for the rest of their education. That really would signal that this royal couple intend to do things differently."

The sentiment has been echoed by a number of royal experts in the past, including Katie Nicholl who told the publication: "Kate’s preference is for George to be at a co-education school, so he can be with his siblings, which is what Kate experienced at Marlborough with her sister, Pippa, and brother, James. It was a very happy school life for her, but William has very fond memories of Eton, which has a long history with aristocrats and members of the royal family. There’s always the possibility of traditions being changed... it may be that George breaks the Eton mould and ends up somewhere else."

In 2022, royal expert Ingrid Seward told OK! magazine that William and Kate would 'never force' their children to attend boarding school. She claimed: "Kate and William are modern parents and will weigh up the decision very carefully. I think they’ll wait to see how the children’s personalities develop, and take into consideration whether or not they would be happy to live away from home."

Prince George will celebrate his 12th birthday in July. Given that his current school, Lambrook, educates children up to 13 years old, he would not be expected to change schools until autumn next year.