Prince George was the only one of King Charles’s Pages of Honour not to attend the State Opening of Parliament after having this role at the coronation.
There have been many royal “firsts” so far this year for King Charles and Queen Camilla and on 7th November they just reached another royal milestone as a couple. Their Majesties attended their first State Opening of Parliament as King and Queen Consort. This was a huge moment for him and is one of those occasions where traditionally his Pages of Honour would assist him with his robes. We saw four Pages at the House of Lords, but King Charles’s eldest grandson was conspicuously absent.
Prince George was the only one of King Charles's Pages of Honour from the coronation who didn’t attend the State Opening. Instead, it seems as though his place as the fourth Page was taken by Charles van Cutsem, as per Tatler.
He’s the son of Hugh and Rose van Cutsem and his sister Grace was a bridesmaid at Prince William and Kate’s wedding. Despite the family’s close royal ties, Charles wasn’t a Page at the coronation, though all three of the others from the State Opening - Nicholas Barclay, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley and Ralph Tollemache - were.
Whilst an official reason wasn’t announced for why Prince George wasn’t there, it’s thought to be likely due to the exams he’s been taking. These exams are understood to be key to determining where he might go on to be educated after Lambrook School and they’re why the Princess of Wales didn’t join Prince William at the Earthshot Prize Awards in Singapore.
The future King addressed this himself in a speech earlier on during his visit, stating, “I should mention that Catherine is very sorry she can’t be here – she is helping George through his first set of major exams.”
It would make sense that this “major set of exams” is the reason why Prince George didn’t join his fellow Pages of Honour at the State Opening of Parliament. He’s likely been studying hard and the 10-year-old royal will be moving on to a secondary school in just a few short years. Meanwhile, Pages of Honour reportedly have their position for at least two years.
Ahead of the coronation it was suggested that Prince William and Kate were “worried” about Prince George taking a prominent role in the ceremony, though in the end he seemed to enjoy being part of the day and was pictured beaming with his fellow Pages.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be keen to give all of their children a relatively normal upbringing largely outside of the royal spotlight. Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams recently claimed to Express.co.uk that whilst the world has some insights into Prince George’s life, Prince William and Kate are well “aware” that there needs to be privacy too.
"We are fed titbits, that George enjoys dancing, plays tennis or likes a pizza, and we get regular photographs of him on special occasions and see him at certain royal events,” Richard said, before adding, "His parents, however, are well aware of the need for him and his siblings to have privacy as they grow up."
With the festive season drawing closer it’s likely that the run-up to Christmas is when fans will next see Prince George in public. He’s previously attended Kate’s Together at Christmas carol concert and if it’s held again this year it’s possible he'll be there.
