Birthday girl Kate Middleton is said to be 'heartbroken' over Prince William's decision to send their son Prince George to Eton and we look at why her 45th birthday will be the hardest.
You don't have to be a royal fan to know who the Princess of Wales is, but there are some facts about Kate Middleton that even the biggest fan might not know. While most families are familiar with her parenting style, others wonder where did Kate Middleton grow up?
And as the Princess turns 42 today (9th January 2024), it's expected to be a bittersweet day for the royal mum. Kate, who normally celebrates her special day with a low-key family tea party, is claimed to be 'heartbroken' over Prince William's decision to send Prince George, 10, to Eton - the single-sex boarding school which he and his brother Prince Harry both attended when they were young and one of the most expensive private schools in the UK.
There have been rumours that the young Prince could follow in his father's footsteps since he was spotted getting his first taste of boarding school life last year when he visited Eton with his parents. But Kate, who is also mum to Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, is said to have her heart set on her eldest son attending Marlborough College, where she went to school.
All three of her children currently attend Lambrook School in Berkshire and Prince George's future at the £47,000-a-year school could see the youngster join when he's 13, giving mum Kate just three precious years left with her son living at home.
And in another blow, Kate's 45th birthday in three years could be one of her hardest as a mother - as it's likely that Prince George will have already started Eton the previous September, therefore his first day back after the Christmas break could end up landing on his mothers' birthday like it has this year - students at Eton go back today according to the official Eton college website.
An insider told In Touch Weekly that Kate is "heartbroken" and that Kate and William have 'argued' about sending their children to boarding school for years.
The source said, "Kate thinks sending him to such a stuffy, upper-crust institution goes against all of their efforts to modernise the monarchy. Plus, she'll miss George desperately."
Prince George attending Eton might mean that Princess Charlotte could be set to make history as one of the first girls to achieve the huge honour of being among the first girls to attend Eton College, as it is historically reserved for boys but if it becomes a co-ed, as predicted, she will land the huge honour.
In other royal news, this clip of Prince Louis "protecting" Princess Charlotte is going viral and Prince William and Kate Middleton’s ‘normal’ parenting revealed as they’re spotted queuing for this iconic after-school activity, and it’s making their kids ‘popular’.
