Education of the Wales Children, Part 2, 2022 -

[tommy100]

I remember Mike Tindall saying he wasn't happy with the idea of sending his children off to boarding school miles from home. He went to a private school but as a day pupil and said he couldn't imagine his children being too far a way - that rules out Gordonstoun for his and Zara's children.

Likewise I can't see William and Catherine sending their children that far away that weekend visits aren't possible.

 

[muriel]

I remember Mike Tindall saying he wasn't happy with the idea of sending his children off to boarding school miles from home. He went to a private school but as a day pupil and said he couldn't imagine his children being too far a way - that rules out Gordonstoun for his and Zara's children.

Likewise I can't see William and Catherine sending their children that far away that weekend visits aren't possible.

Most boarding schools allow parental visits on most weekends, especially to watch the children play sport. That should mean that W&C should be able to see their children regularly if they are at boarding school.

 

[FigTree]

I remember Mike Tindall saying he wasn't happy with the idea of sending his children off to boarding school miles from home. He went to a private school but as a day pupil and said he couldn't imagine his children being too far a way - that rules out Gordonstoun for his and Zara's children.

Likewise I can't see William and Catherine sending their children that far away that weekend visits aren't possible.

I doubt they would. A couple of schools they were reported to look at are ones which let's say aren't academically competitive. I'd be very surprised if George went to Eton or even Marlborough to be honest. However, Lambrook was in the press before they went. So who knows.

They could have three very different children on their hands who need a different school to suit them. King and Queen of Denmarks 4 kids were all in different schools at one point. I think eldest is finished now.

 

[FigTree]

Most boarding schools allow parental visits on most weekends, especially to watch the children play sport. That should mean that W&C should be able to see their children regularly if they are at boarding school.

Most now have the children go home after sport on Saturday. However, some are still full boarding. Eton for example.

 

[tommy100]

I actually think this would be a big consideration for William and Catherine. I would think they’d be less likely to go for a school that is strictly full boarding half term to term over one that has a more flexible approach. But really we are just guessing, time will tell.
I agree that there could well be a need for three different schools depending on what is best for the children but Louis is still too young for them to factor that it now. I think they’ll pick a school all three could go to but William and Catherine will be very open to sending them to another better suited school if it is felt it is for the best.

 

[Alison H]

James Middleton's said that he wasn't happy at Marlborough. But both Catherine and Pippa were.

 

[FigTree]

James Middleton's said that he wasn't happy at Marlborough. But both Catherine and Pippa were.

I think possibly too academic for him.

 

[Prinsara]

It’s a little difficult with no knowledge of how “academic” any of GCL are or what they’re interested in, isn’t it?

George likes art. Louis was learning drums. They have parents who are very athletic and managed academics okay, their mother even more so than their dad. And their mother feels co-ed environments are more comfortable. It’s not a heck of a lot to go on…

 

[Mbruno]

I think its seen as quite elitist to have single sex schooling these days so Malborough - though still a heavily elitist school - would be a bit more "normal", certainly most school children go to co-ed schools so it is in that sense more relatable. Eaton has been front of centre of some of the stories and reports written about the recent VAT addition to school fees - it has added the full 20% straight away and will be able to claim back millions in VAT paid on new buildings etc. It is the school everyone things of when they think of "posh private schools" - it is in many ways a victim of its own success - so avoiding it would be a smart move in many ways.

Also - the fees for Malborough are £59,142 a year vs Eaton at £63,000 a year - maybe William and Catherine will want to save that £4,000 a year

I doubt £4,000 a year would make a great difference to the Duke of Cornwall ! But, seriously, what matters is that the children get the best possible education and be in a environment where they are happy.

It’s a little difficult with no knowledge of how “academic” any of GCL are or what they’re interested in, isn’t it?

George likes art. Louis was learning drums. They have parents who are very athletic and managed academics okay, their mother even more so than their dad. And their mother feels co-ed environments are more comfortable. It’s not a heck of a lot to go on…

To be honest, none of the Windsors , since they started attending regular schools, have been known to have particularly excelled in "academics". I have hopes that any of GCL might break this tradition of relative mediocrity as I believe that a solid academic education is actually important for a working royal, especially the heir and the spare to the throne,

I also don't get the criticism sometimes that school X or Y is "too academic". I understand the cultural emphasis, especially in the English-speaking countries, on a "well-rounded education" or a "holistic formation", but isn't academic education the primary mission of a school after all? I honestly dislike how, in the USA, Australia, and Canada in particular, some families, students, and even people who run schools, tend to place athletics and social life on par with academics, or even above the latter.

 

[Frelinghighness]

Seems that King Charles and prince Edward did well in school

 

[Mbruno]

Seems that King Charles and prince Edward did well in school

I don't think so. Both King Charles and Prince Edward graduated with a 2:2 from Cambridge, which is actually a quite low degree classification in the UK. Prince William and Princess Beatrice at least achieved a 2:1, which is the norm for British students nowadays, but none of the Windsors graduated with a First as far as I know.

Normally the Windsors' academic record ranges from average (like William or Beatrice) to below average (like Charles and Edward), or abysmal (like Harry, or possibly Andrew and Anne, who did not go to university).

 

[VictoriaB]

I don't think so. Both King Charles and Prince Edward graduated with a 2:2 from Cambridge, which is actually a quite low degree classification in the UK. Prince William and Princess Beatrice at least achieved a 2:1, which is the norm for British students nowadays, but none of the Windsors graduated with a First as far as I know.

Normally the Windsors' academic record ranges from average (like William or Beatrice) to below average (like Charles and Edward), or abysmal (like Harry, or possibly Andrew and Anne, who did not go to university).

As universities set their own requirements for degrees and are not national standards, it’s not really possible to compare a 2.2 from one university with a 2.1 from another university. There have also been questions about grade inflation over the years, there are different teaching methods and different examining methods so I’m not sure it’s possible to compare results across different generations or different universities.

Given the difference in ages, it would not even be fair to compare academic results of Charles and Edward let alone Charles and William.

 

[Mbruno]

As universities set their own requirements for degrees and are not national standards, it’s not really possible to compare a 2.2 from one university with a 2.1 from another university. There have also been questions about grade inflation over the years, there are different teaching methods and different examining methods so I’m not sure it’s possible to compare results across different generations or different universities.

Given the difference in ages, it would not even be fair to compare academic results of Charles and Edward let alone Charles and William.

Ok, fair enough. In any case, the point remains that none of them were exactly stellar students.

 

[Mirabel]

I once read that, when Charles was considering what school would be best for his sons, someone told him that his best friends were the ones he'd made at Eton.
I don't know if that was the decider, (since Diana favored Eton as well) but it most likely had an effect, given how miserable Charles was at Gordonstoun.

 

[Queen Claude]

Diana's brother and father were both educated at Eton. I suspect she was the primary decision maker.

 

[PrincessofEurope]

I don't see Eton being the choice for George - William and Kate have proven they are happy to break convention and chose the education that fits their children better than what is "expected" from them as royals.

I reckon it will be a co-ed school that all the children can attend - whether that be close to Windsor and day students or further afield and boarders time will tell

 

[camelot23ca]

I doubt £4,000 a year would make a great difference to the Duke of Cornwall ! But, seriously, what matters is that the children get the best possible education and be in a environment where they are happy.

To be honest, none of the Windsors , since they started attending regular schools, have been known to have particularly excelled in "academics". I have hopes that any of GCL might break this tradition of relative mediocrity as I believe that a solid academic education is actually important for a working royal, especially the heir and the spare to the throne,

I also don't get the criticism sometimes that school X or Y is "too academic". I understand the cultural emphasis, especially in the English-speaking countries, on a "well-rounded education" or a "holistic formation", but isn't academic education the primary mission of a school after all? I honestly dislike how, in the USA, Australia, and Canada in particular, some families, students, and even people who run schools, tend to place athletics and social life on par with academics, or even above the latter.

A school can be “too academic” in the sense that its curriculum is taught at too high a level for a particular child’s ability. It’s not fair to send a child to a school that’s going to set him or her up for failure (Harry likely would have received a much better education at a school other than Eton, for example). There are also plenty of bright, talented children who don’t need, or wouldn’t respond well to the very single minded, pressurized environment that some of the most academic schools either actively encourage or fail to moderate.

It’s also interesting that certain schools value ethnic, geographic and socioeconomic diversity, while continuing to advertise their lack of intellectual diversity as one of their main selling points. Is it necessarily a good thing if a child has spent their entire school career exclusively surrounded by an extremely academically talented peer group? It might not be, especially for members of royal families who will be expected to continuously (and publicly) interact with people of varying abilities.

 

[Drakes]

I don't see Eton being the choice for George - William and Kate have proven they are happy to break convention and chose the education that fits their children better than what is "expected" from them as royals.

In addition to this, Eton is so very accessible to the public, with roads and public footpaths passing through the site - nightmare for security

 

[FigTree]

Yes I have always wondered how they managed their security. I think perhapsbbot ideal in this day and age.

 

[Mirabel]

There was no problem with security at Eton for William or Harry.
Any place could prove dangerous for a determined assailant.

 

[FigTree]

No but times have changed.

 

[HRHHermione]

No but times have changed.

I would actually argue times were worse when William and Harry were at school. Interest in them was at an all time high because of the loss of their mother and the public had not yet adopted the idea that it’s intrusive to post photos of minors. I think the Wales children’s privacy has been a lot better protected, happily.

 

[FigTree]

Yes but security needs have changed. I think the fact that they currently have attended schools.wuth enclosed campuses says something.

There were very few, if any, photos of William and Harry at Eton.

 

[tommy100]

Don’t forget that alot of their time at Eaton was after Diana died, and after there had been a public outcry at the paparazzi’s apparent involvement in that. An agreement was struck that the media would leave the “boys” alone in return for regular photo opportunities eg the annual ski holiday pics. The public would have raked any newspaper publishing pictures of William and Harry out and about at Eaton over the coals.
That though was the days when the only real place for such pictures was print or broadcast media. Now everyone is a photographer and can post whatever they want on social media. That certainly makes Eaton less desirable as walking around the public streets would open George up to someone taking his picture if they wanted to and sharing it.

 

[Hallo girl]

Don’t forget that alot of their time at Eaton was after Diana died, and after there had been a public outcry at the paparazzi’s apparent involvement in that. An agreement was struck that the media would leave the “boys” alone in return for regular photo opportunities eg the annual ski holiday pics. The public would have raked any newspaper publishing pictures of William and Harry out and about at Eaton over the coals.
That though was the days when the only real place for such pictures was print or broadcast media. Now everyone is a photographer and can post whatever they want on social media. That certainly makes Eaton less desirable as walking around the public streets would open George up to someone taking his picture if they wanted to and sharing it.

Open top tour buses driving along the narrow streets