Prince William and Kate will reportedly be doing the school run with Prince George

They've chosen a school further away from their home, because they 'like the atmosphere'

Prince William and Kate will buck royal protocol by reportedly doing the school run when three-year-old George starts school in September.

'They are very hands on parents and although they acknowledge that it might cause a bit of a buzz to start with, they are hopeful it will soon settle down,' a source close to the family told The Daily Mail.

It would appear that the Duke and Duchess are determined to give their children a normal upbringing, as the insider added: 'It's very important to both of them that George enjoys as normal a childhood as possible, particularly as he settles into a new school, and for them this includes dropping him off at the school gates.'

According to reports, the couple plan to split the school duties between them, and be as involved as possible in George's education. Rather than send him to a primary school close to their home, the royals have chosen a school across the river in Battersea – according to the source, they preferred the atmosphere at the Thomas London Day School, where George is due to start after he turns four in July.

Back in March, whilst making an appearance at the National Portrait Gallery gala dinner, Kate told fellow parents of children who will be attending Thomas' that she would 'see them at the school gates', joking to the group: 'I'm not sure George has any idea what's going to hit him!'

George will be the first member of his family to attend a mixed-sex school and have the chance to make friends with girls as well as boys - although students are encouraged not to make 'best friends' to avoid hurt feelings, and the school champions 'Being Kind' as its number one rule. There's also a strong focus on music, creative arts and the importance of learning outdoors.

In response to the announcement that Prince George would be enrolling, Thomas's Battersea, who run other day schools in Clapham, Fulham and the Royal's home borough of Kensington, issued the statement: 'The Duke and Duchess have made it clear that they do not wish Prince George's attendance at Thomas's to change its aims, values or ethos in any way.'

'They would like, as far as is possible, for him to enjoy the same education that all of our pupils receive and for them to join the school community as all of our new parents do.'

GoodtoKnow

Trusted, informative, and empathetic – GoodToKnow is the ultimate online destination for mums. Established in 2007, our 15-year-strong archive of content includes more than 18,000 articles, 1,500 how-to videos, and 7,000 recipes.