Kate Middleton is said to be “heartbroken” over an upcoming decision she and Prince William must make regarding Prince George’s future.
According to Mirror, the Prince and Princess of Wales, both 42, are currently considering where to enroll their eldest son after he finishes preparatory school.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl told the outlet that Middleton prefers a co-ed school in England so George can stay with his siblings—however, William reportedly has a different perspective.
Nicholl stated, “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.”
Middleton attended Marlborough College in Wiltshire from 1996 to 2000.
“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,” Nicholl explained.
According to Nicholl, William is determined for George to attend Eton, the prestigious all-boys boarding school where both he and Prince Harry studied.
While George is reportedly eager about the idea of going to his father’s former school, Middleton is said to be “heartbroken” and finds the institution too “stuffy.”
However, Nicholl noted that George might not necessarily follow in William’s footsteps, as William himself did not attend the Scottish boarding school where his father, King Charles III, was enrolled.
“There’s always the possibility of traditions being changed,” Nicholl told the Mirror. “William and Harry didn’t end up following in their father’s footsteps by going to Gordonstoun [in Scotland], and it may be that George breaks the Eton mold and ends up somewhere else.”
She continued, “Whatever happens, it’ll be a decision made by William and Kate with George’s best interests factored in.”
According to the BBC, George is currently attending Lambrook, a co-educational school in the Berkshire countryside for children aged 3 to 13, alongside his siblings, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.
He and his siblings are said to be happy at Lambrook, where they find a sense of stability, particularly during Middleton’s ongoing cancer treatment.
“When Kate was in hospital, George was on the football pitch playing with his friends,” Nicholl told the Mirror.
“That sense of normality, of keeping the family going at one of the hardest times they’ve ever gone through, was important.”
“The school gives them a great infrastructure and a great support network, and allows the children to live a regular childhood — a low-key, happy, albeit privileged childhood.”
Page Six contacted Kensington Palace for a statement.
In March, Middleton revealed her cancer diagnosis following abdominal surgery in January.
By September, she shared that she had completed chemotherapy and was cancer-free.