Prince William and Kate Middleton have kept their three children out of the spotlight and focused on their education as they are “prioritizing stability” amid mourning Queen Elizabeth II who died nearly one week ago at the age of 96.
The newly-appointed Prince and Princess of Wales only recently brought Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to their new school on Tuesday, Sept. 7, just two days before Her Majesty passed away.
William walked alongside Prince Harry and behind their father, King Charles III, as the Queen’s coffin was transported from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday. Her funeral is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 21.
The children have been absent from the spotlight since the Queen died, a move which William and Kate planned to keep some sense of normalcy for their kids, according to royal expert Hilary Fordwich.
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“The heir to the throne is prioritizing stability for his three children by not pulling them out of their education, trying to keep some sense of continuity for them at school and keep things as normal as possible,” Fordwich exclusively told Fox News Digital.
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William, who is heir to the throne, tended to his fatherly duties last week as he escorted his kids to their school ahead of the first day of classes. While the children were present for the Queen’s Jubilee festivities in June, they have yet to be present for any of Her Majesty’s funeral arrangements.
“George, Charlotte and Louis, just all started the same school together, and although William brought them out for the Jubilee and had allowed them to be pictured, he is still incredibly sensitive about his children and thrusting them in front of the camera before he absolutely has to,” Royal Author and Fox News Royal Contributor Duncan Larcombe said.
“During the Platinum Jubilee it was funny when the children looked bored and they were starting to fidget, but you can’t have that for the Queen’s funeral. But I still will be surprised if George doesn’t go because I think as a future King himself, that would be something that William and Kate would be quite keen on, to get this into his memory.”
Larcombe speculated “it’s almost certain” the royals would want at least their eldest son, Prince George, nine, at the funeral.
“William has just been made Prince of Wales. Prince William is 40 years old and for 40 years he’s also been fully aware that this day would come,” he said. “So this is a time that, although usually their [William and Kate] priority is their three children, this is when you know that they really have to just drop everything and focus entirely on the aspects of their job, which they also take incredibly seriously.
“They haven’t wanted to interrupt the children’s schooling because the schools are still open here. There is a period of mourning, but it’s sort of voluntary and a lot of schools obviously don’t have the option of closing for the for the whole 10 day period.”
Fordwich added that the children’s relationship with the Queen was “tremendous” and they “spent a lot of time with her,” who they affectionately called “Gan-Gan.”
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“It was in the last month, the now Prince and Princess of Wales, moved to be closer to the Queen, to Adelaide cottage, which is on the grounds of Windsor Castle,” Fordwich said “It’s a charming, historic home. They were moving out of London because they wanted to be closer to her and to get out to the country to give the kids ‘a more normal family,’ country environment.”
The Queen’s relationship with her great-grandchildren was special, and William and Kate made as much time as possible for their kids to bond with Her Majesty, even through a difficult lockdown which “applied to her and the royals as much as it did to everybody,” according to Larcombe.
“That relationship was still evident right up until the day she died,” he said. “Those memories of the Queen and the examples of the Queen, William and Kate, not just as parents but as Prince and Princess of Wales, is a hint of what George, also Charlotte and Louis are going to have to face at times in their life, being in such a public eye and expected to be dutiful servants of the British public.”
