Prince George is not allowed to have a best friend at school and according to a new study, this could have a big impact on his school grades.
Prince George started his second year at Thomas's Battersea earlier this month and while we are sure he's knuckling down and performing well, there could be one thing holding him back.
Kate and William's eldest son's school has a policy which means its pupils are encouraged not to have best friends to prevent anyone feeling lonely or excluded.
Loose Women panelist Jame Moore, who lives close to the school, made the revelation on the show last year and said: 'There are signs everywhere saying "be kind" - that's the ethos of the school. They don't encourage you to have best friends.'
Although this seems like a lovely policy that could help make many children's experiences of school more enjoyable, a new study has suggested not having a best friend can negatively impact school grades.
Prince George has a school lunch most adults would be desperate to try
The study was conducted by the University of Surrey and published in the Journal of Educational Psychology. It compared what pupils said about their friendships with how they performed in their end of Year 7 assessments.
Perhaps Prince George will look to his little sister and brother as his best friends
Lead author of the study, Terry Ng-Knight, explained: "We found that children who kept the same best friend over the transition tend to do better. Children's best friends change for all sorts of reasons but the transition is likely a big factor disrupting friendships.'
He added: 'If we can find ways to support friendships during this time, this may help us to improve attainment and behaviour.'
Many of the children who kept the same best friend throughout school were able to do so because they went to the same secondary school but this is obviously not always possible or desirable.
The study noted that while some commentators have suggested changing friends at secondary school can be a good way to part with troublesome friends, little research has been done into the benefits of keeping the same friendship group. It's certainly an interesting thing to consider!
Do you think Prince George's school should allow its pupils to have best friends or would you like it if your child's school had the same policy? Head over to our Facebook page to join the conversation and share your thoughts!
