Education of the Cambridge Children, Part 1, Until 2022

[O-H Anglophile]

And Maria is Spanish herself so it's also the best way for George, Charlotte and Louis to learn a language (i.e. from a native speaker).
I think learning a language is very beneficial and there are many Spanish speaking communities in the world so it's not a rare language to learn.

Why? She's their nanny, not their language tutor.. I doubt if she has ever doen more than use a few Spanish wrods to them.. if that...

HereditaryPrincess answered this well so no need for me to rewrite it.

 

[TLLK]

AFAIK William and Catherine have never confirmed or denied that they want their children to be bilingual. However if the Cambridges want their children to be bilingual in English and Spanish, then having a familiar member of their household speaking to them in her native language is the best way to introduce the it to them. William and Catherine (along with the rest of the family) would be speaking to them in English. They'll learn it in a natural and comfortable way with a trusted caregiver this way, much like many children around the world learn two languages in their youth.

 

[tommy100]

Maria comes from a top class college for nannies, she will speak to the children in English if that is what Kate and William have asked her to do. If they want her to speak Spanish to the children then they will have had to ask her to do so, she wouldn't presume do so without the parents permission.

I do think George at least needs to know French to a reasonable level. Listening to the Queen speak in French when in Canada is pretty impressive and important symbolically for the Queen of Canada.

 

[miss whirley]

Maria comes from a top class college for nannies, she will speak to the children in English if that is what Kate and William have asked her to do. If they want her to speak Spanish to the children then they will have had to ask her to do so, she wouldn't presume do so without the parents permission.

I do think George at least needs to know French to a reasonable level. Listening to the Queen speak in French when in Canada is pretty impressive and important symbolically for the Queen of Canada.

Using that logic, George should be learning Welsh too. That would arguably be more important symbolically since someday he will be made The Prince of Wales.

 

[Osipi]

I think it would be amusing, if, with as much time as the kids spend with Maria, they pick up on her expressions and the words she uses. For example if they're misbehaving and she utters something under her breath, the kids associate the words with the behavior. Then.... down the line they repeat it to Daddy and thing its grandly funny Daddy doesn't know what they said.

This is how kids operate. I know of a child that was quite small that emigrated to the US and knew Arabic as his first language. He actually thought that "s**t" was a commonly used word. When you think about it, in the English language, it actually is by a lot of people. He mimicked what he heard

Teaching the language in a school environment teaches the word association, what it means and how it is used grammatically.

Here in the US, other languages aren't a focal point of education all that much. Most Americans have problems with the English language even after completing high school levels.

Me? I had German in elementary school for a bit and although I retain some of it, I would be hard pressed to say I know the German language at all. I had several years of French in high school and pursued it a bit further in college, it serves me well sometimes but I'm far, far away from being fluent. I'm still interested in etymology but that's just me. With journalism training and a love for words, I love finding out where they started from. Its a side interest.

My kids grew up learning Spanish and French a bit only by watching Sesame Street (it depended on the station carrying it if it was French or Spanish). I grew up knowing to say "x, y, zud" crossing the border to Canada. The reason escapes me now as it was so long ago.

We pick things up as we go and that's true for adults. I will never have to be fluent in another language because of my lifestyle. My interest as a young adult was in words. English grammar, English composition, English literature and Journalism training. It was specific to my interest. It's what drew me.

Perhaps William isn't fluent in another language. Perhaps it didn't interest him all that much how to speak a spoken word. He did, however, pursue things that interested him personally. I can't fault him for that.

 

[tommy100]

Using that logic, George should be learning Welsh too. That would arguably be more important symbolically since someday he will be made The Prince of Wales.

I completely agree and actually was thinking that as I wrote my post. I will say, as a Welsh person, Welsh is important symbolically and I hope George (and indeed William much sooner) will learn enough to be able to use it at times but I actually think French will be more important as it will be more useful. I don't think they would be expected to speak "off script" in Welsh other than basic greetings and phrases but knowing French fully would be useful in Canada and in many other countries.

 

[LauraS3514]

It is an excellent idea that George learns a second language when he is young. What is the most number of languages that should be taught to a young child?

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's children were virtually trilingual from an early age: English, German, and French. I've often read, although I don't know if it is correct, that Edward VII spoke English with a slight German accent (especially his Rs).

Studies have shown that the earlier children are exposed to a second language the better. I've had friends where the mother spoke to the kids in one language and the dad in another - or it was the grandparents who used the second language. Hearing two languages doesn't usually cause confusion in a child, quite the contrary. The language pathways in the brain "close" for the lack of a better word, at around ten years of age. Before that time, a child can more easily learn that second language to fluency - and once a second is learned the third, fourth, etc. are easier to acquire. It is not IMPOSSIBLE to learn a second language after ten, but much more difficult to gain full fluency. Unfortunately in the US, unless you are an English language learner, your first opportunity to take a second language elective in usually in middle school - around 12 years of age - missing that optimal window. And of course, conversational fluency is one thing, and literacy quite another...

 

[Somebody]

Many of our friends' children grow up speaking multiple languages (Dutch - English; Spanish - Dutch; Dutch - Frisian; Dutch - Chinese - English; Spanish - English - Futch - Sign language). Most people in Suriname are bi- or trilingual from an early age as well (Surinamese - Dutch sometimes combined with English or a tribal language).

All in all, worldwide it is quite common and also highly recommended. Indeed the best way to learn is if a specific language is attached to a specific person as thst helps a child not to mix up languages.

 

[eya]

From September Princess Charlotte will join her brother to the same school

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowb...ge-6-000-term-school-Battersea-September.html

 

[Countessmeout]

From September Princess Charlotte will join her brother to the same school

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowb...ge-6-000-term-school-Battersea-September.html

I always thought it would be the case eventually. Ever since they chose to send George to a co-ed school. It seemed likely they intended their kids to go to the same school.

Will be interesting to see if George continues co-ed, and does something like Marlborough, or he goes to Eton when older. William and Harry were the only royal grandkids who went to exclusively all boys/girls schools. Peter and Zara (Port Regis and Gordonstoun) and Eugenie (St George Windsor, Marlborough). Because of her dyslexia, Bea eventually switched to St George Ascott which is all girls. James and Louise are a mix. They both started out at co-ed St George's Windsor , but Louise is now at an all girls school, St Mary's. Kate attended 2 co-ed schools (St Andrews and Marlborough) and Downe for a time which is all girls.

 

[muriel]

Will be interesting to see if George continues co-ed, and does something like Marlborough, or he goes to Eton when older. William and Harry were the only royal grandkids who went to exclusively all boys/girls schools. Peter and Zara (Port Regis and Gordonstoun) and the York girls (Coworth and St George/Marlborough) attended co-ed all the way through. James and Louise are a mix. They both started out at co-ed St George's, but Louise is now at an all girls school, St Mary's. Kate attended 2 co-ed schools (St Andrews and Marlborough) and Downe for a time which is all girls.

It will certainly be interesting to see what secondary schools the Cambridge children end up attending. Whilst it may be a convenient option to send them to a co-ed school like Marlborough, if they are academically high achieving, the parents may well choose to send the boys to Eton or Winchester, and Charlotte to Wycombe Abbey or Cheltenham.

 

[evolvingdoors]

It will certainly be interesting to see what secondary schools the Cambridge children end up attending. Whilst it may be a convenient option to send them to a co-ed school like Marlborough, if they are academically high achieving, the parents may well choose to send the boys to Eton or Winchester, and Charlotte to Wycombe Abbey or Cheltenham.

I imagine George, as future king, is likely to be sent to Eton or a similar school for the future ties alone (I don’t think his grandfather old school would fit him, he seems to me a sensitive one like grandpa is).
That being said, I do have to counter your idea that high-achieving kids ought to go to single sex schools, i’m sure Britain has co-ed schools fit for high achieving children that are as if not even better than Eton or Wycombe Abbey.

I believe Catherine old school is considered one of the top in the country?
Charles and Philip old school is now co-ed (though I do not Know how it ranks competed to others these days, I imagine fairly high..)

 

[Heavs]

I went to Wycombe and loved it but is isn't for everyone and to my knowledge no member of the BRF has gone there. It tries to have a lot with Eton (including asking if Eton was going to give an extended break for the Rugby). It is consistently extremely high the league tables.


I think single sex may play a part but private vs state will have been decided.

 

[Mbruno]

Maria comes from a top class college for nannies, she will speak to the children in English if that is what Kate and William have asked her to do. If they want her to speak Spanish to the children then they will have had to ask her to do so, she wouldn't presume do so without the parents permission.

I do think George at least needs to know French to a reasonable level. Listening to the Queen speak in French when in Canada is pretty impressive and important symbolically for the Queen of Canada.

Conversely, listening to William trying to speak French in Canada was painful, which is quite embarassing for someone who hopes to become King of Canada one day !


The truth is that English-speaking people, even those who come from wealthy families and have access to top schools (like William), are notoriously bad at learning other languages. In comparison, most university-educated L1 speakers of other European languages tend nowadays to speak at least English (out of necessity really !) in addition to their native tongue, and sometimes may also speak a third language as well.



That asymmetry has been much debated by sociolinguists over the years and one obvious conclusion I alluded to above is that L1 English speakers don't feel the same practical need to learn another language as L1 speakers of foreign languages have when it comes to learning English, chiefly because English is today the lingua franca for international communication. I think the problem goes deeper than that though.



At least among the European languages (either Germanic, Romanic, Celtic, or Slavic/Balto-Slavic), it is IMHO undeniable that English is probably the one with the simplest morphology. English-speaking linguists, especially in the US, like to claim that this is somewhat compensated by English having a "complex syntax", but that is not really the case, i.e. whereas there are indeed some difficult syntatic features that are unique to English, many so-called "difficulties" of English syntax are shared by other European languages too, which in turn also sometimes have other syntatic difficulties of their own that do not exist in English.



Balancing then both morphology and syntax, I would say it is on average easier for a speaker of another European language (especially a Germanic one) to acquire the grammar of English as an L2 speaker than it is conversely for an English speaker to acquire the grammar of another European language. Of course, learning another language goes far beyond, however, than learning its grammar. It also involves learning the other language's vocabulary, semantics , spelling and pronunciation , areas where English is supposed to be relatively hard. The fact that English shares words with both Germanic and Latin/Romanic roots makes it reasonably accessible though to both Germanic and Romanic language speakers (with varying degrees of difficulty of course depending on your native tongue) .

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I agree about Prince William"s French. It is cringe worthy. I will never understand why his parents -Charles in particular with his virtually flawless French-permitted this. He will be the first British heir to the throne in modern Royal history who is not bi-lingual and the only Heir among his peers who is not.

To William and Kate's credit it seems certain that they are providing better preparation for George and Charlotte.

 

[Mbruno]

I agree about Prince William"s French. It is cringe worthy. I will never understand why his parents -Charles in particular with his virtually flawless French-permitted this. He will be the first British heir to the throne in modern Royal history who is not bi-lingual and the only Heir among his peers who is not.

To William and Kate's credit it seems certain that they are providing better preparation for George and Charlotte.

England and France go back a long way in terms of shared history, starting obviously with the Anglo-Norman elite being actually French-speaking in the early years following the Norman invasion and the Kings of England maintaining a nominal claim to the French throne from the late Middle Ages up to the 18th century. On top of that, French was still the language of choice for international diplomacy in Europe up to the late 19th and early 20th centuries at least, so it is hardly surprising that all English, later British monarchs felt it proper to be bilingual in English and French. In fact, as it can be seen now in online archives, mid-19th century letters for example from Queen Victoria to the Tsar of Russia and vice-versa were still written in French.


Of course, nowadays, that is no longer the case as the international status of French has been greatly diminished despite France's residual influence in the European Union and in Africa in particular. In practical terms, it would make more sense then for William's children to learn Spanish (more speakers worldwide than French) , or German (more speakers in Europe than French), or even a non-European language like Mandarin Chinese (because China is already the world's largest economy according to PPP GDP), if it were not for the fact that George in particular is in direct line to the throne of Canada, a country where English/French bilingualism is a must both for the Head of State and the Head of Government (the PM).



I know that may be far-fetched considering that George probably won't be king for another 50 years at least and that, in 50 or 60 years' time, Canada may well have become a republic, but, still, the Crown's ties to Canada by themselves are already enough to justify that the Cambridge children be taught French.



PS: I know that even some English-speaking Canadian posters on TRF, who do not share my view on the importance of French in modern-day Canada, might disagree with my post, but, anyway, it is a valid PoV IMHO.

 

[Countessmeout]

It will certainly be interesting to see what secondary schools the Cambridge children end up attending. Whilst it may be a convenient option to send them to a co-ed school like Marlborough, if they are academically high achieving, the parents may well choose to send the boys to Eton or Winchester, and Charlotte to Wycombe Abbey or Cheltenham.

Co-ed is not about convenience, especially if they are boarding students. There are many high achieving academic co-ed schools. Cheltenham College which you mentioned is one of them. It went full co-ed in 1998.

I went to Wycombe and loved it but is isn't for everyone and to my knowledge no member of the BRF has gone there. It tries to have a lot with Eton (including asking if Eton was going to give an extended break for the Rugby). It is consistently extremely high the league tables.


I think single sex may play a part but private vs state will have been decided.

No, the closest would Lady Nicholas Windsor who attended but of course she married into the family.

If we are going to limit the choices to ones already attended:


all girls:

-Benenden: Princess Anne, and among non Brits Basma and Alia of Jordan
-Heathfield: Alexandra (first British princess to go to boarding school)
and Lady Helen Taylor. Countess Snowdon also attended
-St Mary's Ascott- Lady Louise, Marguerita Armstrong-Jones, Lady Amelia and Marina Windsor
-Down House: Gabriella Windsor. Kate (though this would be a tick against it for Charlotte as Kate hated it there).
-St George's Ascot-Beatrice, Davina and Rose

all boys: Really the only option would be Eton as all of the royal men who have been to all boys schools have gone here in senior royals. The Dukes of Kent and Gloucester with their sons and grandsons have attended. William and Harry of course. The grandsons of Princess Margaret. Prince Michael and his son. Alexandra's son James.


co-ed:
-Gordonstoun: Charles, Andrew, Edward, Zara, Peter, Philip, also popular among the Mountbatten family. Lady Helen also went there
-Marlborough-Princess Eugenie, Kate


Nothing saying they wont choose one of the other top schools in the country. Many top schools to choose from.

 

[muriel]

That being said, I do have to counter your idea that high-achieving kids ought to go to single sex schools, i’m sure Britain has co-ed schools fit for high achieving children that are as if not even better than Eton or Wycombe Abbey.

I don't believe I suggested "that high-achieving kids ought to go to single sex schools". It just so transpires that some of the academically best secondary boarding schools in the southern part of the country happen to be single sex schools. Marlborough, IMO, is a very good school, but is not as academically challenging as Eton, Winchester, Harrow or Wycombe Abbey.

 

[muriel]

I went to Wycombe and loved it but is isn't for everyone

I could not agree more. It is a lovely school, and will only work if Charlotte turns out to be an academically gifted and hardworking student.

.......and to my knowledge no member of the BRF has gone there. It tries to have a lot with Eton (including asking if Eton was going to give an extended break for the Rugby). It is consistently extremely high the league tables.

Whilst no member of the BRF may have gone to WA, W&C have demonstrated their willingness to think outside the traditional royal choices when it comes to schooling for their children.

I think single sex may play a part but private vs state will have been decided.

I can't see the Cambridge children being sent to a state funded school.

I agree about Prince William"s French. It is cringe worthy. I will never understand why his parents -Charles in particular with his virtually flawless French-permitted this. He will be the first British heir to the throne in modern Royal history who is not bi-lingual and the only Heir among his peers who is not.

Might it be that currently, for a large number of Britons, being able to speak another European language is just not considered a key skill? Many more people around the world now speak English, and as the world appears to have come closer together linguistically, the importance of speaking languages has declined.

Co-ed is not about convenience, especially if they are boarding students. There are many high achieving academic co-ed schools. Cheltenham College which you mentioned is one of them. It went full co-ed in 1998.





No, the closest would Lady Nicholas Windsor who attended but of course she married into the family.

If we are going to limit the choices to ones already attended:


all girls:

-Benenden: Princess Anne, and among non Brits Basma and Alia of Jordan
-Heathfield: Alexandra (first British princess to go to boarding school)
and Lady Helen Taylor. Countess Snowdon also attended
-St Mary's Ascott- Lady Louise, Marguerita Armstrong-Jones, Lady Amelia and Marina Windsor
-Down House: Gabriella Windsor. Kate (though this would be a tick against it for Charlotte as Kate hated it there).
-St George's Ascot-Beatrice, Davina and Rose

all boys: Really the only option would be Eton as all of the royal men who have been to all boys schools have gone here in senior royals. The Dukes of Kent and Gloucester with their sons and grandsons have attended. William and Harry of course. The grandsons of Princess Margaret. Prince Michael and his son. Alexandra's son James.


co-ed:
-Gordonstoun: Charles, Andrew, Edward, Zara, Peter, Philip, also popular among the Mountbatten family. Lady Helen also went there
-Marlborough-Princess Eugenie, Kate


Nothing saying they wont choose one of the other top schools in the country. Many top schools to choose from.

As I mentioned in a previous post, William & Catherine have been quite open to not following the royal precedent when it comes to choosing schools for their children.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

I'm not surprised that the Cambridges have chosen St. Thomas's for Charlotte as well. It will be sweet to see her join her brother at school.
As for secondary schools, I always thought that the Cambridges would do the usual route and choose a school such as Eton for George (and eventually Louis) and Marlborough for Charlotte, though now they'll be at the same prep school together they may wish to continue them attending the same school into their secondary years. It all depends on the different academic abilities of the children and own personal school experiences with secondary education IMO.

 

[poppy7]

I went to Wycombe and loved it but is isn't for everyone and to my knowledge no member of the BRF has gone there. It tries to have a lot with Eton (including asking if Eton was going to give an extended break for the Rugby). It is consistently extremely high the league tables.


I think single sex may play a part but private vs state will have been decided.

I lived next to WA for a number of years as I worked in the area. It was considered for Princess Anne but discounted on a security front. Which I can see as part of it backs on to the exit from M40. I would think it's a no. They will be better, if boarding, to go somewhere more rural. Eton seems a bit to exposed too if I am honest but you can obviously spot suspicious sorts there it is so quiet.

Anyhow I actually don't see them boarding till prep, which is 13. William and George went at 8 but Bea and Eug didn't go till, later but occasionally did flexy boarding and Louise and James don't at all. I would think, given the future workload of Kate and William, that they will board eventually though.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Beatrice didn't board at secondary level at all. She was a day pupil at St George's as Ascot, which is very close to Royal Lodge, throughout her secondary schooling. Eugenie went to Marlborough.

I remember reading, shortly after it was announced that Catherine was pregnant, that she said she would not be sending her children to boarding schools. There are excellent private schools in London and some not far from KP e.g. Westminster School isn't that far and they could just as easily be day students there as board somewhere where they have little contact with their parents.

 

[Pranter]

I'm glad they aren't going to send them to boarding schools....frankly I don't understand why it is a good idea to ship your children off and only see them X times a year.




LaRae

 

[poppy7]

Beatrice didn't board at secondary level at all. She was a day pupil at St George's as Ascot, which is very close to Royal Lodge, throughout her secondary schooling. Eugenie went to Marlborough.

I remember reading, shortly after it was announced that Catherine was pregnant, that she said she would not be sending her children to boarding schools. There are excellent private schools in London and some not far from KP e.g. Westminster School isn't that far and they could just as easily be day students there as board somewhere where they have little contact with their parents.

Beatrice was a flexible boarder. She stayed there sometimes if everyone was away which I get as I don't see it is a nice experience for children to come home solely for staff so both her and Eugenie sometimes stayed in earlier years...but they were older not 8. Eugenie then obviously boarded for Marlborough at 13. Beatrice may have opted to board then too as she was 15 and with parents away a lot and sister in boarding school it may have been lonely experience to be home.

 

[Countessmeout]

I'm glad they aren't going to send them to boarding schools....frankly I don't understand why it is a good idea to ship your children off and only see them X times a year.




LaRae

That may change with time. Both William and Catherine went to boarding school when they were kids. I don't think they will go before teens, but I would be surprised if the boys didn't go to Eton.

Boarding school makes sense especially for senior royals. When William and Kate are prince and princess of Wales they will be away a lot. When the kids are in school they will not be able to travel with them. If the kids are going to be home for days with nannies, it makes just as much sense for boarding school. If they go to a nearby boarding school, they can often be home on weekends and such. A flex boarding program would also be a good option.

 

[muriel]

Beatrice didn't board at secondary level at all. She was a day pupil at St George's as Ascot, which is very close to Royal Lodge, throughout her secondary schooling. Eugenie went to Marlborough.

I remember reading, shortly after it was announced that Catherine was pregnant, that she said she would not be sending her children to boarding schools. There are excellent private schools in London and some not far from KP e.g. Westminster School isn't that far and they could just as easily be day students there as board somewhere where they have little contact with their parents.

Was it a direct quite from the Duchess that you read or was it speculation by the Press?

I agree with you that there are excellent secondary day schools in London. If either of the boys is academic enough to make it to Westminster, they will be very lucky and receive a fantastic education. However, my guess is that the Cambridge children will all board from age 13 for the boys and 11 for Charlotte. Depending on how academic the children turn out to be, Malborough may be a strong contender for all three of them. Alternatively, I guess Eton, Harrow and Wycombe Abbey will be contenders.

 

[Countessmeout]

Little surprise, been confirmed today Charlotte will join her brother at St Thomas in the fall.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1131915802138021888

 

[Rudolph]

Princess Charlotte will go to the same school as Prince George, when she starts in September. She’ll join Reception Year at Thomas's Battersea, announces @KensingtonRoyal.

Headteacher of Thomas’s Battersea, Simon O’Malley, said: “We are delighted that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have decided that Princess Charlotte will join her elder brother, Prince George, at Thomas’s Battersea. We greatly look forward to welcoming her”.

Via Chris Ship Twitter

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

Not surprised by the news - I had presumed Charlotte would end up at St. Thomas's like George.

 

[Princess Larisa]

I could swear this was confirmed a few months ago.