Kate Middleton is breaking this royal protocol to ‘support’ her children, here's why

Kate Middleton is breaking royal protocol by skipping an important upcoming royal engagement, choosing instead to stay at home and ‘support’ Prince George through a hectic time at school. 

• Kate Middleton will not be attending the upcoming Earthshot Prize Awards as the engagement coincides with important exams Prince George is set to take at school. 
• While some royal fans are disappointed they won't be seeing Kate at the engagement, the Princess has been praised by experts for putting her family first despite public pressure. 
• In other royal news, King Charles reveals his hopes that granddaughter Princess Charlotte will ‘look after him’ when he is ‘very old’.

Balancing work with family life is difficult no matter what job you find yourself in. Even now the Flexible Working Bill has become law, it's not just a case of fitting in time with the kids but also deciding whether high childcare costs mean it's financially worth returning to work after a baby or not, or whether shared parental leave could work for your family rather than the traditional maternity leave that can make returning to work more than daunting. 

The experience is universal when it comes to work/life balance - even the royals experience it! And they also share the same mum-guilt as the average full-time working parent. Just ask Kate Middleton. 

The Princess of Wales has recently come under fire when news broke that she would not be attending the upcoming Earthshot Prize Awards in Singapore with her husband Prince William because she had chosen instead to stay at home and support Prince George through exams at school. 

Despite the longstanding stance William and Kate have taken of prioritising 'family time' over royal engagements, many were upset that they would not get the chance to see Kate step out on the red carpet like they did last year for the awards ceremony. 

However, Kate has stuck to her original decision and will remain at home as Prince George has exams for the whole week that the Earthshot Awards will take place. 

A senior source told The Mirror, "The Princess will not be attending. Prince George has exams that week and the Princess wants to be at home to support him." 

While it not known exactly what exams George will be taking, many have speculated that they are the preliminary entrance exams for Eton College as they take place during this same time period.

It's not an unsubstantiated theory as, earlier this year, George visited Eton College with his mum and dad and he has long been expected to attend the school which both his father William and his uncle Prince Harry attended when they turned 13. Prince George currently attends Lambrook Primary School, as do his younger siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, but the school only accomodates students up to the age of 13. 

Coincidentally, Eton is for boys ages 13 through 18. When George visited the campus earlier this year, it was largely speculated that he was there to register for 2026 entry, the year he will be 13, as students needed to be registered for that year by this June. 

Not everyone is upset by Kate skipping out on the Earthshot Awards. On a panel hosted by Sky News Sydney's Caroline Di Russo and attended by fellow news editors Jenna Clarke and Sophie Elsworth, the three experts praised Kate's decision to put her family first, saying it showed how 'modern' her approach to royal life really is. 

Clarke said, "I think it’s just another way for the Prince and Princess of Wales to move the family into modern times. Where, the former Prince and Princess of Wales would do everything together, now William is going over there (Singapore) to talk about the climate, and Kate is staying home to focus on events that mean a lot to her, whether it be children, education, early childhood and things like that.

“I think it’s wonderful. They are joint CEOs of The Waleses. It is interesting to see that they’ve moved it into the next frontier. A lot of people are outraged because they don’t get to see Kate in a pretty dress, where she’s just putting in the hard yards and just doing her job.”

Speaking out against the criticism many are sharing online in response to the news Kate will not be attending the Earthshot Awards, Elsworth shared, "I think it’s good that she’s actually doing what’s very important to her and that is spending time with her children and making sure they go to school and helping them in anyway she can. I mean, look, she’s very hard to criticise, Caroline! She seems to never put a foot wrong.

“I like the fact that she decided to put her family first in this instance. She doesn’t need to go everywhere with William. And I think that’s again why she ticks another box with the public.

"She does show her very authentic side and that she does want to be a mother as well. She’s not just going around to events and flying around the world. She’s actually staying home with her children and helping raise them.”