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Despite the English monarchy stringently upholding century-old traditions throughout the contemporary age, the royal family have made a few expectations to their rules. Especially when it comes to the education of their core members. The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William and Kate Middleton, are seemingly taking up this pseudo-rebellious mantle with their eldest child, Prince George.
The 10-year-old, who is second-in-line to the throne, is preparing to continue his higher education and transition to secondary college in 2025. It’s expected that Prince George would follow in his father’s footsteps and attend the prestigious Eton College in Berkshire, near the family’s ancestral home in Windsor. However, new reports have claimed the former Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has surveyed Marlborough College in the Cotswolds—the alma mater of his mother—as a potential alternative.
Middleton attended the prestigious co-ed boarding school between 1996 and 2000. (She then attended St. Andrew’s College in Scotland for university where she and Prince William met in their freshman semester).
Since Queen Elizabeth II broke royal tradition with King Charles III by educating him outside the palace, the royal family have consistently eschewed convention regarding where they send their children to school. King Charles attended Prince Philip’s alma mater, Gordonstoun in Scotland, where he famously defied the custom of being tutored by private instructors.
However, as historical reports and season three of The Crown claim, the King despised his time at the school, failing to adapt to the tough schooling environment and bullying of his schoolmates. When it came to educating his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, King Charles opted to send them where he always wished to go; Eton College.
Given Eton is one of the most select schools in the nation, the Waleses’ consideration of Marlborough emphasises their continued desire for their children to have as much as a normal upbringing as possible, including a regular education away from England’s elite—similar to the one his mother and aunts received.
Marlborough College has deep roots in the royal family, with members of both the Middleton family and House of Windsor school alumni. Namely, Middleton’s younger sister, Pippa, and Prince William’s cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, respectively. Fellow notable alumni include the late supermodel Stella Tennant, The Crown actress and director, Emerald Fennell, and music producer and DJ, Fred Again..
Currently, all three of the Wales children, including Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, attend Lambrook School. They made the move from their inner London school, Thomas’s Battersea, after permanently relocating to Adelaide Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
It’s believed the Waleses will address Prince George’s schooling closer to the date, but like with his father before him, we can anticipate many a photo documenting his first day of high school—wherever that may be.
