Choosing a school fit for a future King is a huge decision for the Prince and Princess of Wales as their firstborn enters secondary education.
In addition to their determination to give their children ‘normal’ upbringings, the pair will be hyper aware of the repercussions of an ill-suited school.
King Charles’s difficult period at the Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun is well documented. According to former classmate Johnny Stonborough, he was ‘badly beaten’ by bullies and ‘very isolated’ as a teenager.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry has spoken of his difficulties fitting in at Eton, saying he wanted to be a ‘bad boy’ and ‘didn’t enjoy school at all’.
As George concludes his Common Entrance Exams this week, having likely already completed entrance exams for any potential schools, the parents are one step closer to making the choice.
Will George, like his father, uncle and world leaders including David Cameron and Boris Johnson, attend Eton College, the leading boys’ boarding school founded by King Henry VI and costing £63,298 per annum?
Or will Catherine be deterred by the fact that the school is single-sex and prefer for him to attend her alma mater, Marlborough College in Wiltshire, where annual boarding fees are £61,809.
There’s also always the chance that the future King and Queen’s visits to various schools sway the matter completely and lead George on his own path at a school neither of his parents attended.
Here, the Daily Mail reveals the runners and riders for Prince George’s new school ahead of the big move in September from his current Lambrook School.
ETON COLLEGE
It educated the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex, and now Eton College might soon become Prince George’s school
ANNUAL FEES: £63,298
DISTANCE FROM FOREST LODGE: Six miles
It has long been assumed that single-sex Eton College would be the first choice for 12-year-old George when he leaves Lambrook, his preparatory school in Berkshire.
Eton has 25 houses, including the main college where the prestigious King’s Scholars, the brightest academic pupils, are housed.
The others, which include Angelo’s, The Hopgarden, Cotton Hall House and Hawtrey House, are dotted in and around the college campus and the village, which the college technically owns.
Each accommodates around 50 boys, 10 from each year, to encourage pupils to mix with other age groups.
Princes William and Harry both lived in Manor House, which was founded in the early 18th century. One of its earlier members was the Duke of Wellington.
Unlike many public schools, each pupil has an individual study bedroom from 13 to encourage the development of organisation skills and self-discipline in meeting tasks and deadlines.
They are catered for in their house and can make snacks in the in-house kitchens.
MARLBOROUGH COLLEGE
The Princess of Wales’s alma mater, Marlborough College, also counts Princess Eugenie and Jack Whitehall as alumni
ANNUAL FEES: £61,809
DISTANCE FROM FOREST LODGE: 57 miles
It is one of the country’s most prestigious public schools, a historic building on the edge of a pretty town that has educated everyone from poets to comedians – and counts a future queen among its alumni.
Founded in 1843, for the purpose of educating the sons of clergymen, the school has seen artist William Morris, the poets John Betjeman and Siegfried Sassoon, and Samantha Cameron, wife of former prime minister David Cameron, as well as funnyman Jack Whitehall pass through its corridors.
And in 1996, seven years after it became fully co-educational, having previously only admitted girls in the sixth form, it welcomed a princess-in-waiting, even if few might have guessed it at first.
Marlborough has six all-boys’ houses, six all-girls’ houses and four mixed houses, many dotted around the campus at the school or in the nearby fashionable market town of Marlborough.
Kate’s former house at Marlborough, Elmhurst, has seen an influx of celebrity children.
OUNDLE
Oundle (pictured), located in Northamptonshire, charges between £22,000 for day pupils and £44,330 a year for full-time boarders
ANNUAL FEES: £44,330
DISTANCE FROM FOREST LODGE: 100 miles
The Prince and Princess of Wales were spotted touring the £59,000-a-year Northamptonshire boarding school in May.
Oundle School, founded in 1556, is considered to be popular with Kate and William because they could send all three of their children there.
The school, which charges between £22,000 for day pupils and £44,330 a year for full-time boarders, values tradition but is also renowned for its art and music, is eco-conscious and has strong pastoral care.
Oundle School is now the third-largest boarding school in England, only behind Eton and Millfield, and has around 820 boarders and 310 day pupils. The school started admitting girls in 1990 and now has a 60/40 male to female ratio.
Pupils, known as Oundelians, can board from the age of 11 and have the opportunity to study a range of subjects including Latin, Ancient Greek and Chinese.
Alumni include Richard Dawkins, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson and England rugby players Tom and Ben Curry.
A source was quoted by the Sun as saying: ‘William and Kate’s visit was terribly exciting.
‘The town would be proud as punch if he attended school here.
‘They are considering other schools but people in Oundle have their fingers crossed that George will be starting here in September.’
HIGHGATE SCHOOL
Highgate School (pictured) was named London Independent School of the Decade by The Sunday Times Schools Guide for 2021
ANNUAL FEES: £32,787
DISTANCE FROM FOREST LODGE: 26 miles
Earlier this year, Highgate School was closed for a ‘special VIP visitor’ – said to have been the princess.
A source told The Mail on Sunday’s Charlotte Griffiths that, while a day school in north London would be an ‘unexpected choice’, events of the past year might also have changed the Waleses’ priorities.
‘With the year Catherine has had, she may well have thought to herself that she wants to soak up every drop of George’s childhood and tuck him into bed herself each night,’ the source said.
The award-winning school counts Nobel Prize-winning poet TS Eliot, Liz Truss and Marcus Mumford as alumni – and was named London Independent School of the Decade by The Sunday Times Schools Guide for 2021.
And in line with Prince William’s environment-first focus, the school claimed a string of prizes in recognition of its green initiatives, including the Supporting Sustainability accolade at the Education Choices Awards.
WELLINGTON COLLEGE
Wellington College (pictured), located in Berkshire, is rumoured to be of interest to the Prince and Princess of Wales
ANNUAL FEES: £62,250
DISTANCE FROM FOREST LODGE: 11 miles
Set in the heart of Berkshire, Wellington College is located a short distance from the Waleses’ family home at Forest Lodge on the Windsor Estate, with termly fees set at £15,250 for day pupils and £20,750 for boarders.
Founded by Queen Victoria, the prestigious co-educational school is set within 400 acres of vast grounds and prides itself on academic excellence.
Speaking on HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast, Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of The Good Schools Guide, said that Wellington College is certainly a strong contender for Princess Charlotte, which, naturally indicates it might also be of interest for George.
‘I’ve been told Wellington is a possible school for Princess Charlotte,’ she revealed.
‘I suspect with the royals that normal rules possibly don’t apply. I feel as though they may be holding multiple places at different schools.’
Melanie added: ‘If Charlotte is going to a co-ed, it might be that they would want her to be joined by her brother Louis. Logistically, that would work for them really, really well.’
