Preventive measures against coronavirus are being taken at Thomas's Battersea school in London where a number of royal children including Prince George and Princess Charlotte are enrolled. The school is one of the 40 in the UK that has been said to be affected by the fear of the rapid spread of coronavirus.

Four pupils from the school were quarantined and are being tested to see if they have the Covid-19 illness after two of them developed flu-like symptoms on return from a school trip to coronavirus-hit Italy. No student or staff at the school have been diagnosed with an infection of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus that was first reported in China.

In a statement released to Spanish news website El Confidence, a spokesperson for the school said: "Like all schools, we are taking very seriously the potential risks related to the spread of Covid-19 and to this end we are following the Government's instructions to the letter on infection prevention and case management in which it is suspected that some staff member or students exposed to the virus or showing any symptoms."

About the four students who have been in self-isolation, the spokesperson said: "We currently have a very small number of students who have been evaluated and these individuals currently remain in their homes waiting to receive the results of their exams."

The spokesperson shared that parents of all the students have been informed about the measures being taken and that regular communication is being carried out with the school community to "ensure that councils are shared and important information circulated."

"Of course, we will preserve the confidentiality of staff and students, and we will not comment on specific cases," the statement concluded.

Prince George, six, and Princess Charlotte, four, returned to the boarding school earlier this week after enjoying their February half-term break with their parents Prince William and Kate Middleton. George is in Year 2 while Charlotte is in Reception at the school in West London.

Princess Charlotte and Prince George
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge look out from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour parade on June 17, 2017 in London, England. Getty

Archbishop Temple School in Preston, Lancs, Trinity Catholic College in Middlesbrough; Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst, Birmingham; Lime Academy Watergall in Bretton, Peterborough are some of the schools in Britain which have been closed down as a precaution.