Why Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis were absent from the King's Scottish Coronation despite being part of the London event

The Wales children missed the King's Scottish Coronation - here's why our favorite royal trio weren't in attendance.

• On Wednesday, July 5, 2023, the Prince and Princess of Wales attended an engagement in Scotland without their three young children.
• The pair attended a national thanksgiving service at St Giles' Cathedral as King Charles received the crown jewels of Scotland.
• In other royal news, Princess Anne gives a nod to the 80s with collarless emerald skirt suit and her trademark upturned collar.

On Wednesday, Princess Catherine opted for head-to-toe royal blue as she wore a historic pearl necklace in Scotland. The Prince and Princess of Wales, who are also known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay while in Scotland, decided to attend this engagement without their three young children.

This was a surprising decision from the royals as they typically allow their children to attend these engagements. Back in May 2023, all three of the royal youngsters were invited to King Charles and Queen Camilla's Coronation and were even included in the ceremony. Prince George took on a momentous role as King Charles's Page of Honor, and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis sat with their parents and watched patiently and quietly at the ceremony.

So why didn't these well-behaved youngsters get an invite to the Scottish celebrations?

The Scottish celebrations took place in St Giles' Cathedral on Wednesday, while the three children were still at school in Windsor. Lambrook School, where the trio are students, doesn't finish the summer term until Friday, July 7. This means that if the Wales children had attended the festivities in Scotland, the Prince and Princess of Wales would have had to pull the children out of school and away from their studies and school friends.

In May, the King's Coronation in London took place on a Saturday, and the engagements the children attended for this celebration were on weekends or bank holidays. This meant that the children did not have to miss any school in order to attend the engagements. 

For the Prince and Princess of Wales, education for children is one of their priorities, so pulling their children out of school during term time would have been in conflict with their beliefs. The Princess's Shaping Up Campaign has shone a light on early years development and highlighted how important it is that children receive a proper education in their formative years.

"The way we develop, through our experiences, relationships and surroundings during our early childhood, fundamentally shapes our whole lives. It affects everything from our ability to form relationships and thrive at work, to our mental and physical well-being as adults and the way we parent our own children," said Catherine when she introduced this initiative back in January 2023.

"These are the most preventative years. By focusing our collective time, energy and resources to build a supportive, nurturing world around the youngest members of our society and those caring for them, we can make a huge difference to the health and happiness of generations to come."

This passionate discussion about children's early years only further highlights why she and William want to let their children have a childhood that is as normal as possible.