Prince George ‘played sheep in school nativity’

Prince George: Locals lash out at school's 'chaotic mob'

17 January

Locals living next to the London school where Prince George had been expected to attend have taken umbrage at the noise spilling from its new playground.

In a letter to Kensington and Chelsea Council, neighbours of the Wetherby Pre-Preparatory School in Notting Hill, which counts Prince William and Prince Harry among its alumni, say the play area encourages "intolerable" behaviour from "screaming children".

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They also describe the pupils as a "chaotic mob".

"The rap sheet, according to letters sent to the local council, includes under-eights 'hurling and bouncing balls and playing other games', making 'nuisance levels of noise' that make local gardens no-go areas for four hours a day and destroying flowers and plants with 'various missiles' that go astray," reports the Daily Telegraph. "No fewer than nine netballs – and a hula hoop – have landed in one local garden in recent weeks."

One man who lives on the prestigious Pembridge Square described the school's use of a leaf blower as a "daily ordeal at a time when I might hope to enjoy a quiet breakfast before school activity begins, listen to music and compose my thoughts for the day".

Others complained that PE lessons in the playground bring the additional noise of "whistle-blowing and shouting instructors".

The Telegraph says the school could be ordered to dig up the playground's blue surface and replace it with something else.

A spokesman for the school said it had been consulting locally about the surface of its playground and is "pleased to engage with our neighbours about any concerns they may have".

It had been expected that Prince George would start at the £6,865-a-term school in September. However, the Sunday Express this weekend claimed Prince William and Kate Middleton might send their three-year-old son to Wetherby's Kensington branch instead.

The smaller school is "much more discreet" and attracts less photographers, according to the newspaper's source.