Education of the Wales Children, Part 2, 2022 -

[Countessmeout]

They are boarding schools. The distance from home to school is not much of a deciding factor. Now if it was a day school and you were making a daily commute to take your kids to school that may be a bigger concern.

Also now they are the heirs to the throne, William and Kate will end up spending more and more time in London. Thats a reality.

 

[tommy100]

Eton is a good school but it is also the personification of "posh private school", Malborough is probably as expensive and upper class but it isn't THE school people would name is asked for the poshest school in the UK. There's been a few decades of digs about Eton and conservative PMs.

At the same time, if Labour win the next election (2024) they hope to introduce rules increasing the cost of fees by making school charge VAT on them as well as removing discounted business rates. In otherwords- there is the possibility of independent schooling becoming a political issue. The children going to a school NOT seen as the most expensive, poshest, most (big C) Conservative might be helpful.

 

[Alison H]

Eton and Harrow are the most prestigious schools, probably followed by Westminster and Winchester. Marlborough hasn't got quite the same cachet, but it's not as if the future king needs to make connections.

20 out of 57 Prime Ministers have been Old Etonians, Liberal as well as Conservative. It's really got a reputation as the school of The Establishment.

 

[Blog Real]

Does the Royal House ever release information about the education of the Prince and Princess of Wales' children?

 

[tommy100]

Yes, to the extent of confirming which school they are attending, though not necessarily by official statement. We have had pictures of the children on their first day of their new schools.

 

[Prinsara]

The children going to a school NOT seen as the most expensive, poshest, most (big C) Conservative might be helpful.

Charlotte can't go anyway, as it stands.

 

[tommy100]

Yep, another reason I think they won't go to Eton - I think they'd prefer to keep the children all together if possible (which actually both W&C did - both went to school with their siblings)

 

[Prinsara]

I suppose it's possible that George's visit to Eton was simply to keep the name in the mix rather than tip people off 'he will definitely NOT be going there' and provoke more chatter.

There is also the very real possibility GCL get a say in where they want to go to school, but we're not going to have a clue of their preferences, obviously.

 

[tommy100]

It makes perfect sense to visit a number of schools and keep their options open. Eton is so close to Windsor after all so it would be easy to fit a visit in to keep it open as an option.

 

[Leopoldine]

The newspapers seem to be assuming that Prince George will attend Marlborough. I found it amusing that The Express had one of these stories accompanied by a recent photo of George wearing an Eton necktie. So who knows?

 

[muriel]

I can see why W&C may want to send George to Marlborough:

> it will allow all three children to have a shared experience
> it is a co-ed school
> is a campus school, more private than Eton, where there is a lot of going up and down the lane
> lower profile school than Eton. In theory, fewer toffs, but that is just the theory of it all IMO.
> easier from a security perspective.

 

[muriel]

There has been some press commentary recently about George potentially being sent to Eton, though no official statement just yet.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

There has been some press commentary recently about George potentially being sent to Eton, though no official statement just yet.

Over the past few days, there have been articles published that Catherine has finally given in to sending George to Eton, and is "upset".

I have always believed George and Louis would be sent to Eton, like their father. William and Catherine's move to Windsor kind of cemented it for me

 

[SLV]

Bunte online, the German tabloid, reports and cites the British newspapers Express and Mirror.
https://www.bunte.de/royals/britisc...rge-soll-auf-ihre-ehemalige-schule-gehen.html

There were rumours, that Prince George would visit the school Eton in the near future.

But this was met with resistance by Duchess Kate. Eton would be too stuffy and upper-crust of an institution for a modern Monarchy... Plus: She, Kate, would miss the little Prince too much, if he went there.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1826445/princess-kate-prince-william-george-eton

Now the Mirror claims, George will probably go to Marlborough College, which Kate has visited as teenager. On not only him, but later Princess Charlotte too would share this school with him. Another point is, that the College is only a one hour drive from Adelaide Cottage, the home of the Windsors. So Duchess Kate could easily visit her kids.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/royals/george-charlotte-to-go-boarding-31531284

--------------------------
My take here may sound a bit harsh, but Eton is surely a very good school and I am sure, they go there with the times, to provide the best education possible. And life is hard - especially for little Princes. which are going to become King on day. A clean cut from the parental home in the puberty might be not the worst approach...

I wouldn't think a one hour cardrive (not counting trafic) is close to home. If that is the closest school, I can understand W&C for wanting their children all in one school. Otherwise, the logistics of bringing them all to school in the morning would be horrible. You would need to leave at 6 to pass all pitstops (schools), before they then go to whatever engagement they have for themselves.
Apart from Eton, I count one other secondairy school in Windsor. And there is one in Slough too (10 min by car, 25 min by bike). Why so far away?

 

[Iluvbertie]

Eton AND Marlborough are boarding schools so there is no 'bringing them all to school in the morning' as they would be staying at the school in term time.

James, Earl of Wessex goes to school in the Windsor area as a day boy. Both Louise and Beatrice also went to day schools in the Windsor area, although Louise did board in the final two years as that is the 'norm' at the school she attended.

 

[SLV]

So, they would be home in the weekends?

 

[Iluvbertie]

No - both Eton and Marlborough are 'full boarding' i.e. 7 days a week. Weekends can be just as full of school activities as the weekdays with compulsory sport and other activities and even lessons as well as chapel etc.

As someone who did 'full boarding' at a school that introduced 'day' students and 'weekly boarders' in my third year I know that those kids felt that they were missing way too much of the school activities by not being at school all the time with the rest of us. Many became full boarders after one year or they had their parents bring them to the school straight after breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday and pick them up just on bed-time so sleep at home and do breakfast but the rest of the time be with their classmates and be involved in all the activities of the school.

 

[SLV]

The idea of boarding school is soooo alien to me.
So, from September to Christmas & January-Summer holidays, the children don't see their parents and family at all? No birthdays, no family-outings?

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

The idea of boarding school is soooo alien to me.
So, from September to Christmas & January-Summer holidays, the children don't see their parents and family at all? No birthdays, no family-outings?

There are term and half term breaks too, so 5 days in October and Feb, two weeks at Christmas and end of March and summer break. So they get to see their parents every 8 weeks

From previous discussions in this thread, it sounds like the schools like Eton et al are a lot less stricter than previous years, meaning kids can go home for weekends if they need too

 

[Iluvbertie]

Even when I was at school we had weekend exeunts where we would go out for the day with our parents and could even take a friend or two with us - quite useful if you live close to the school while other kids live a lot further away or overseas.

What a lot of people forget is that for teenagers being with Mum and Dad takes second place to being with friends and the friends will be at school and doing school activities - whether official or more casual.

One of the best weekends we had was the one where we got to decorate our new 'common room' - one where could hand out when not in class, dorms etc. We had one but it was being demolished to build a new library so a new room had to be found for us and one was - but it wasn't in the best repair and needed painting. The school did the physical repair and allowed us to paint it, choose the carpets and other decorations as well as furniture. We started straight after breakfast on the Saturday and only stopped for meals and bed on Saturday night and it was a great 'bonding' experience. We hated it when we had to move to a new 'common room' when we moved into 5th form but that was necessary as we had a different set of dorms and that building came with two common rooms - for 5th and 6th forms. It is still the common room for 2nd formers (now called Year 8) but we all visit it to see what each group has done with it when we visit. There is still the 'original's wall' with our names and pictures as an acknowledgement of what we did.

We also had lots of interschool sports, horse-riding, golf, DoE Award scheme, band, orchestra, drama, craft clubs etc etc etc all running on weekends and after school.

 

[muriel]

The idea of boarding school is soooo alien to me.
So, from September to Christmas & January-Summer holidays, the children don't see their parents and family at all? No birthdays, no family-outings?

Not quite. Most weekends, parents are welcome to come and watch the students play sport. Often, parents get to take the children out for a meal after the game.

There are also regular exeat weekends when they can go home, plus half terms (usually a week, but tyoically a fornight in the autumn term). So all in all, there is plenty of parental interaction.

 

[Hallo girl]

William went to Sunday lunch with granny when he was at Eton. Walking distance from the castle, not saying he walked but that close.

 

[muriel]

William went to Sunday lunch with granny when he was at Eton. Walking distance from the castle, not saying he walked but that close.

It very much is walking distance from Eton college to the castle, though we do not know if William walked or was driven.

 

[Queen Claude]

Doesn't George have to take an exam to get into Eton? Yeah I know that he may likely get admitted even if his scores are not up to scratch.

I think that these stories are likely made up or the tabloids are being fed information from not too credible sources.

I suspect that if they are not in agreement that neither William nor Catherine will make the decision, rather it will be George who has the final say on where he goes to school.

 

[muriel]

Doesn't George have to take an exam to get into Eton? Yeah I know that he may likely get admitted even if his scores are not up to scratch.

I think that these stories are likely made up or the tabloids are being fed information from not too credible sources.

I suspect that if they are not in agreement that neither William nor Catherine will make the decision, rather it will be George who has the final say on where he goes to school.

George is probably going through the assessment process as we speak.

But I agree, these are largely made up stories by the tabloids. The press are unlikely to know how William or Catherine feel, or if they are disagreeing.

 

[akina21]

George is probably going through the assessment process as we speak.

But I agree, these are largely made up stories by the tabloids. The press are unlikely to know how William or Catherine feel, or if they are disagreeing.

It lets the tabloids play around with the idea of too much meddling commoner Middleton influence on the future monarch in case George is going to attend Marlborough or portray Kate as somebody without a backbone or personality, who follows stuffy palace protocol over her own feelings if the school turns out to be Eton.

 

[muriel]

It lets the tabloids play around with the idea of too much meddling commoner Middleton influence on the future monarch in case George is going to attend Marlborough or portray Kate as somebody without a backbone or personality, who follows stuffy palace protocol over her own feelings if the school turns out to be Eton.

Well said!

 

[Alison H]

Doesn't George have to take an exam to get into Eton? Yeah I know that he may likely get admitted even if his scores are not up to scratch.
.

The Common Entrance Exam used by public schools is not particularly hard compared to that used by private schools in other parts of the country. And top prep schools know how to get kids through it. Unless George is below average intelligence, which we've got no reason to think he is, he'll pass. It's a weird system in that you just have to achieve a pass mark in the Common Entrance Exam to be considered, not that the kids with the best marks necessarily get the places.

Regarding the media comments on alleged differences between William and Kate over George's education, the story is that it's not so much about stuffiness as that Kate prefers co-ed schools to single sex schools, as she was bullied at her all girls' school and was happy at her co-ed school. In my experience, unfortunately there are bullies at all schools, whether all girls', all boys' or mixed, but the story is that Kate was happy at Marlborough and that's why she would like George to go there. Obviously we have no idea whether or not these reports are accurate!

 

[muriel]

The Common Entrance Exam used by public schools is not particularly hard compared to that used by private schools in other parts of the country. And top prep schools know how to get kids through it. Unless George is below average intelligence, which we've got no reason to think he is, he'll pass. It's a weird system in that you just have to achieve a pass mark in the Common Entrance Exam to be considered, not that the kids with the best marks necessarily get the places.

Eton has quite a rigorous entrance exam and assessment system which results in conditional offers (subject to clearing the Common Entrance) being made in Year 6, to start in Year 9. The Common Entrance is held in Yar 8, and is frankly a formality for most students.

 

[victor1319]

Well, I cannot see Eton denying the little Prince! Under no circumstances!