Royals Why Prince George and Princess Charlotte Won't Be Returning to School in London This Week Prince William and Kate Middleton tackled homeschooling when schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic last spring By Stephanie Petit Stephanie Petit Stephanie Petit is a Royals Writer and Reporter at PEOPLE. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 4, 2021 11:38 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Prince George and Princess Charlotte won't be heading back to class just yet. Over the weekend, London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced that primary schools in the city will remain closed after the holiday break due to the number of coronavirus cases in the capital. That includes Thomas's Battersea, the $23,000-per-year private school that George, 7, has attended since 2017 and where Charlotte, 5, started in 2019. The closure also means that it's highly unlikely that 2-year-old Prince Louis will start nursery school this week. Prince George and Princess Charlotte both started nursery school when they were 2 in the month of January. Prince William and Kate Middleton have not announced any news regarding their youngest child beginning school. In a tweet on New Year's Day, Khan said the city-wide school closure was "the right decision." Aaron Chown/Getty Images "The government's original decision was ridiculous and has been causing immense confusion for parents, teachers and staff across the capital," the London mayor said. "It is right that all schools in London are treated the same, and that no primary schools in London will be forced to open on Monday." 7 Big Events the Royals Have to Look Forward to in 2021 Schools will be opened for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. London has been categorized as Tier 4, meaning citizens must stay home except for approved reasons such as buying food, exercising outdoors, medical purposes or work that can't be done from home. The Cambridge family's 2020 Christmas card. Matt Porteous / The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge/Kensington Palace via Getty Like parents around the world, Prince William and Kate, both 38, tackled homeschooling with their eldest children when schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic last spring. Although schools remain closed, it's possible that William and Kate will adopt the role of teachers this week — like they did during Easter break last year. "Don't tell the children, we’ve actually kept it going through the holidays," Kate said in an interview with the BBC in April. "I feel very mean!" "The children have got such stamina, I don’t know how," the royal mom added. "Honestly, you get to the end of the day and you write down the list of all the things that you’ve done in that day. So, you pitch a tent, take the tent down again, cook, bake. You get to the end of the day — they have had a lovely time — but it is amazing how much you can cram into one day, that's for sure." Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty See the 2020 Christmas Cards from Royal Families Around the World Kate revealed that it was a challenge to get George excited about his own schoolwork when he had Charlotte's "cooler" assignments as a comparison, the mom said in another interview on ITV's This Morning. "We’re stuck into homeschooling again," Kate said. "George gets very upset because he just wants to do all of Charlotte’s projects. Spider sandwiches are far cooler than literacy work!" Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George. AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP via Getty Although the royal family was unable to keep with their tradition of spending Christmas with Queen Elizabeth at Sandringham this year, Kate and Prince William treated their children to a bit of holiday fun during a night out at the theater for a pantomime performance in support of essential workers in the community. Louis sat on Kate's lap for much of the show, and the royal siblings were photographed clapping for the performance.