The morning rush is a universal experience for most families; clearing the breakfast dishes, tracking down a child's lost school shoe, and piling out the door to get to the playground gates on time. While we might presume this wouldn't be a familiar scene for the likes of the Royal Family, according to a former royal butler, the morning routine for The Prince and Princess of Wales is much more recognisable than we might think.
One of the most important things the couple make sure they do themselves, according to butler Grant Harrold, is the school run. Grant worked with the royals between 2004 and 2011 and says, 'their day-to-day life is far more "normal" than older members of the Royal Family' and that Prince William and Kate rely only sparingly on any staff.
'The school run is part of this. For them, it’s an important part of their children’s daily routine and they want to do it themselves," said Grant, in a release on behalf of Select Car Leasing. 'I also don’t think William wants the world to see his children being driven to school by a chauffeur, it’s not the image of the monarch he’s trying to project.'
While many pressures of being in line to the throne are unavoidable, there are some 'normal' family routines which the couple can instil in the daily lives of their three children. The school run 'rule' appears to be one of them. 'They’re well aware that it brings some normality for George, Charlotte and Louis,' says Grant. 'Both William and Kate like doing things for themselves.'
It would also appear that the couple's busy schedule of commitments and engagements is also designed on a timetable which fits around their children's schooling. 'The royal schedule starts at 10am for them, so [the school run] is doable in terms of their work commitments,' says Grant.
Of course, the Prince and Princess arriving each day could have the potential to cause quite a stir, but Grant believes the couple will have considered this in advance. 'It would have been something they discussed when they picked the school. Kate and William won’t want to do anything that disrupts things for the rest of the schools, they’ve always been very conscious of that,' he says. 'I imagine the school will have procedures in place to make it a smooth experience for them every morning.'
