Picture this: the future Queen of England, calm as ever, adjusting the rear-view mirror while a teenage Prince George nervously checks his blind spot. It might sound fanciful, but a former royal butler who worked closely with Prince William reckons it's exactly the kind of hands-on moment Kate Middleton would embrace.
Grant Harrold, who served in the royal household, has suggested that the Princess of Wales could break with tradition by personally teaching her three children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight — how to drive when the time comes.
"I could imagine Kate getting behind the wheel and teaching them herself when they're old enough. She's a very calm person so I think she would make a great teacher," Harrold told Select Car Leasing.
George Is Closest to Hitting the Road
Of the three Cambridge children, it is George who will reach driving age first. The future King turns 13 next month, meaning he could be sitting behind the wheel in just over four years — a prospect that feels both thrillingly normal and rather momentous given what his future holds.
Charlotte and Louis have a little longer to wait, but Harrold says the same approach will likely apply across the board. The former butler was clear that the royal children will still have an official, vetted instructor — someone local, discreet, and thoroughly security-checked. "The main factor for picking an instructor will be trust and discretion," he said, adding that the experience won't be "much different" from that of any other British teenager sitting their theory test.
He also revealed that loyalty runs deep in royal circles when it comes to trusted staff and tradespeople. "I imagine lots of the royal cousins would have used the same instructor if it worked logistically, as the family are very loyal when they find someone they can trust," Harrold said.
Why a Licence Matters More Than You'd Think
For most of us, passing our driving test means freedom — and it turns out the same is true for royals. Harrold pointed out that the family's homes are typically set within large estates, far from local amenities, making the ability to drive genuinely practical. While the Wales children will always have security drivers at their disposal, the independence that comes with a licence is something the younger royals clearly value.
Interestingly, even King Charles holds a driving licence — despite technically having no legal requirement to do so as reigning monarch.
The Wales Family's Two Homes
The driving lessons chat comes as the family settles into life split between two very different properties. William and Kate moved into their "forever home", Forest Lodge in Windsor, in October 2025 — a sprawling eight-bedroom estate leased from the Crown Estate on a 20-year agreement, at market rent. The family have chosen not to have live-in staff there, though the property does include a self-contained flat for guests.
They've kept hold of their London base, Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace — which, despite its modest-sounding name, spans 20 rooms including five reception rooms, three main bedrooms, a nursery, a gym and staff quarters. A newly released video from Historic Royal Palaces recently offered a rare peek inside the palace, with host guide James Ellison describing the building as a "chocolate box" home — designed to be aesthetically charming rather than grand, originally commissioned by William III and Mary II as a quiet retreat from the city.
Eton Next — Then the Road
Before George even thinks about a provisional licence, there's the small matter of starting at Eton College this September. It's all but confirmed that the future King will follow in his father Prince William's and uncle Prince Harry's footsteps at the £63,000-a-year all-boys school, which sits conveniently close to the family's Windsor home. Both William and Harry passed their driving tests first time at 17 — so the pressure is quietly, gently, already on.
Whether Kate ends up in the passenger seat coaching her eldest through a three-point turn remains to be seen, but given how determined she and William are to give their children as grounded and normal a childhood as royalty allows, it really wouldn't be the most surprising thing they've ever done.
