Kate Middleton and Prince William Aren't Moving Back to London

published 6 January 2021

Kate Middleton and Prince William aren't returning to Kensington Palace after the holidays.
The Cambridges have decided to remain at Anmer Hall, Norfolk, as England enters a third lockdown.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte won't return to school at Thomas's Battersea in the near future.

For Kate Middleton and Prince William, the holiday season is over—and yet the Cambridges aren't returning to Kensington Palace. England has just entered another lockdown amid a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases, and Kate and William have decided to remain at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, where they celebrated Christmas. According to the Mirror, the Cambridges have already resumed the homeschooling of their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, as they did for a significant portion of 2020.

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Kate and William will work from Anmer Hall, with the wider royal family aiming to support charities and businesses throughout England's third national lockdown. "The family is committed to working together to help the country through the next stage of the crisis," a royal source told the Mirror. "Plans are already in place to reach out to a range of charities and businesses and fortunately they are well versed in the world of video calls now."

George and Charlotte didn't return to school at Thomas's Battersea this week, despite other children across England initially doing so. Before the government announced Monday that all schools would be closed nationwide, London's primary schools were instructed not to reopen after the holidays. Now, students across the country are unlikely to return to school until at least February, as the BBC reports.

Louis' entry into formal education is also likely to have been delayed by England's school closures: As Hello! reports, the youngest Cambridge was predicted to begin nursery (preschool) this month, following the leads of George and Charlotte who started nursery in January 2016 and 2018 respectively. While nursery schools have not been closed in England, Kate and William have yet to announce Louis' enrollment, and with the Cambridges remaining in Anmer Hall, it seems unlikely he'll start any time soon.

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.