It may be hard to believe, but the Prince and Princess of Wales are nearly parents to a teenager, as their oldest son, Prince George, will turn 13 this summer (22 July). At the moment, he attends Lambrook School in Berkshire with his sister, Princess Charlotte. However, as his prep school only caters for children up to age 13, he’ll be imminently moving to a new school. This means a big decision for his parents.
‘There’s one big significant question, [which is] whether they’ll be sent to boarding school or day school,’ says royal expert Kate Williams. Both Prince George’s parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, went to boarding schools, so it may be that they choose the same for their oldest child. Prince William studied at the elite Eton College near Windsor Castle, while Kate boarded at the all-girls school Downe House, before moving to the mixed Marlborough College.
‘We know that Kate was very happy at boarding school,’ says royal expert Kate Williams, meaning it could be a good choice for Prince George. Eton, with its proximity to Windsor, could also be an option, and its location famously allowed Prince William to regularly visit his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, for lunch and tea.
‘Eton is very close to Windsor, but there are other schools in Windsor, or very close to Windsor,’ says royal expert Kate. Plus, not all of the schools within reasonable distance of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ family home are boarding schools, as some offer day education.
However, one other reason Kate Williams believes boarding could be considered a good option, is to limit exposure to the press. ‘The couple might prefer boarding school because they won’t have the commute back and forth, where people might take photos,’ she says. While there could be press attention during the drive, we know that the Prince and Princess of Wales currently do the school run themselves without too much hassle. So, if a day school does end up being the best option for Prince George, it seems likely that similar measures could be put in place to make sure there isn’t excessive press and public attention on the new commute.
Whichever type of school the couple choose for Prince George, there’s one factor that the Prince and Princess of Wales are rumoured to be set on. ‘There have been various reports that William and Kate will not send their children to single-sex schools. They prefer to send them to mixed co-ed schools, say various sources, although we don’t know what’s really going to be the case.’
Given that the Princess of Wales left a single-sex school for mixed education, it could be that the preference stems from her own experience growing up.
