First, we had the Kate Middleton effect, with shoppers rushing to snap every item seen on the Duchess of Cambridge, from the blush shift by high street favourite Reiss to the infamous sapphire blue engagement dress from now-defunct Brit label Issa.
Then, it quickly became apparent that the youngest members of the Cambridge clan, Prince George, three, and Princess Charlotte, one, could cause an outfit to sell out in seconds, just like mum. When George was pictured greeting the Obamas at Kensington Palace while wearing the cosiest of dressing gowns last year, the robe in question (from kids brand My 1st Years) was bought up in a matter of moments, while coats, shoes and dresses worn by the little prince and his younger sister have flown off the (virtual) shelves, too.
Now, though, it seems that the George effect has taken an unlikely (or – depending on how you view it – very likely) leap into the world of property, with one London estate agent reporting a major increase in interest from buyers in Battersea – a spike which came after Kensington Palace confirmed that the Prince will attend Thomas’s School in September.
‘Since the announcement that Prince George is due to attend Thomas’s school in Battersea from September, we have seen a resurgence in interest in the Battersea Park area amongst buyers,’ Kris Ericsson, sales manager of Knight Frank in Battersea, revealed to Harper’s Bazaar.
‘We have seen an increase of up to 60 per cent in enquiries for houses of £4 million and above and quite a few have explicitly cited the added draw of the royal connection that the area will now enjoy.’
With the average Battersea house price set around the £1.5 million mark, buyers will have to be prepared to part with some serious money in order to ensure that their little darlings can enjoy an education fit for a prince (not to mention the fees set at £6,110 per term…)
According to its website, Thomas's has 540 pupils aged between four and 13, and places a special focus on the arts and sports, as well as the children's emotional wellbeing. The most important rule is to 'be kind.'
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