Prince George has just taken a major step into the world of royal tradition, walking through the gates of Eton College just as his father, Prince William, once did.

But while George’s path may now look familiar, his younger sister, Princess Charlotte, is facing a very different decision — and it could tell the world a lot about how the heir Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, want to raise their children.

Charlotte cannot follow her big brother because Eton is a boys-only school. This leaves William and Kate with a significant choice about where their daughter should continue her education, with Kate’s former school, Marlborough College, emerging as one option.

There is something very human about that dilemma. For any parent, choosing a school is about much more than reputation. It is about personality, friendships, confidence, independence and finding a place where a child can feel comfortable enough to become their own person.

For William and Kate, however, there is an enormous complication. Their children are not ordinary children. They are royals; they are famous; therefore, it is indeed complicated.

Every school they attend comes with cameras, public interest, security concerns and the unavoidable knowledge that they are members of the Royal Family.

That is why one royal source said William and Kate have always wanted to give their children as normal an upbringing as possible.

“William and Catherine have always placed enormous importance on giving their children as normal and cohesive an upbringing as their circumstances allow,” the insider said.

And that makes Charlotte’s situation and pending decision particularly interesting. The source continued: “They will want somewhere where she can flourish as Charlotte rather than constantly being treated as the King’s granddaughter or the future King’s sister.”

That may be the most important part of the entire story. Charlotte has grown up knowing exactly who she is and where she stands in the line of succession. But William and Kate appear determined, as far as they can, to allow their children to have childhoods that are not completely consumed by their future roles or lack thereof.

George’s position inevitably makes his situation different. As second in line to the throne, his education carries an enormous amount of public interest.

Charlotte, meanwhile, is third in line. That gives William and Kate a little more room to consider what might be best for her as an individual rather than simply choosing the most obvious royal path. She might decide she does not want to be a working royal and instead wants to explore other options such as business, art, or science.

And that is where Marlborough becomes particularly fascinating. Kate attended the school herself, meaning this would not be an entirely unfamiliar world for the Princess of Wales. According to the report, the royal source said Marlborough would “inevitably enter the conversation” because Kate knows the school personally.

The person added that Kate knows “its culture” and “what boarding there involves.” More importantly Kate’s own experience could help her decide whether the environment would actually suit her daughter.

“That familiarity could be enormously reassuring when making such a significant decision,” the source said. There is also another fascinating family precedent.

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Princess Anne was sent away to boarding school and became the first daughter of a British monarch to attend school rather than being educated principally at home. Anne eventually developed the independent, famously forthright personality that has become such a recognizable part of her public life.

Charlotte’s circumstances are obviously different. But the example is still worth considering. The source added that Anne offers Charlotte “a fascinating example much closer to home.”

According to the insider, Anne demonstrated that “a princess could leave the immediate royal bubble, attend boarding school and develop considerable independence.”

That could be precisely what William and Kate want for their daughter. Not to isolate her from royal life, but to give her enough space to develop a personality and identity that belongs to her.

George will have his own journey. Charlotte will have hers. And perhaps that is exactly the point that her parents hope to make with their decision.

There is no indication that a final decision has been made about Charlotte’s future school. But the bigger picture is already interesting on many angles.

William and Kate are raising three children who will occupy very different positions within the monarchy. George is the future King. Charlotte is third in line. Louis is younger still and has considerably more freedom simply because of his place in the succession.

Which brings up another question: what happens with Louis? George has now moved on to Eton. Very soon Charlotte will eventually need a senior school that can accommodate her and give her room to grow. And Louis, still younger, will eventually face his own educational crossroads.

The three Wales children could therefore end up taking three very different educational paths. And perhaps that is not a problem for William and Kate at all.

It may actually be the plan. Rather than forcing their children into identical royal molds, they could be allowing each of them to find their own way.

For Charlotte, that could mean following her mother to Marlborough. For George, it means following the traditional path toward Eton.

And for Louis, the future remains wide open. Whatever William and Kate ultimately decide, Charlotte’s school choice may reveal something far more important than where she will study.

It could reveal how the future King and Queen want their children to grow up — not simply as royals, but as three individual people.