England has been greatly surprised this week because a rumor that many didn't want to believe has been confirmed. Prince Louis hasn't been photographed with his mother, Kate Middleton, on his first day of school, nor have his siblings appeared. The desired family photo hasn't happened this year, and that has left everyone puzzled.
September has arrived and with it, the return to school, not only for ordinary children but also for the children of royalty. Every year, the British have demanded one image: the Princes of Wales taking their children to school. It has been a tradition, a touching scene, but this year that image hasn't come.
For years, William and Kate have posed smiling with George, Charlotte, and Louis: holding hands, talking, like any other family. They have shown a human, approachable side, far from royal protocols, but that has changed.
Louis hasn't been photographed with his family yet on his return to school in England
For the past three years, the Dukes of Cambridge have broken that custom and have chosen privacy. They have wanted to protect their children. They have done so firmly, and 2025 hasn't been the exception.
Kate Middleton has faced a difficult year. At the beginning of 2024, she was diagnosed with cancer, and the family focused on her and also on their children. They've done everything possible so that George, Charlotte, and Louis live normally: without exposure, without pressure, like ordinary children.
All three would have already returned to Lambrook School in Berkshire (Berkshire), the same school where they've studied in recent years. Very close to Windsor, where the family lives. But this year there still isn't any official photo like they used to do, something that has left England puzzled.
Prince Louis is living a relatively normal childhood thanks to his parents
Many hoped that, after Kate's recovery, the traditional photo would return. There were even rumors that this year it would happen. The family has moved to a new house, has sought a new beginning, and it was believed that the photo would be part of that new stage, but it hasn't been so.
The fact that it hasn't happened has impacted the British. It has confirmed that the family continues to prioritize discretion for the sake of Louis's and his siblings' childhood.
It has proved that the princes want to protect their children. It has made clear that, for now, the touching images of the first day of school are a thing of the past.