Eton College has become synonymous with the royals ever since Prince William and his younger brother Prince Harry were pupils there in the 1990s. So it was widely assumed that Prince George would follow in his father’s footsteps by attending the school for his secondary education, something that seemed to be confirmed by a visit earlier this summer. Yet, in a royal curveball, the 10-year-old prince has reportedly also been seen looking around Marlborough College with his parents—the alma mater of his mother, the Princess of Wales.
Established in 1843, the £47,000-a-year private school is situated in the picturesque town of Marlborough in Wiltshire, just over an hour’s drive from the Wales family home of Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Estate. Co-educational since 1989, it is the largest mixed-sex boarding school in the country, with just over 1,000 pupils. Indeed, one major benefit of the school is that Prince George’s younger sister, Princess Charlotte, will be able to attend alongside him—as will his youngest brother, Prince Louis. All three are currently pupils together at Lambrook School, a local “feeder” primary school, which they will attend until they are 13.
Marlborough is known for its academic greatness as well as for being progressive—something that is no doubt important to the royal couple. The master is Catherine’s former Latin teacher, Louise Moelwyn-Hughes, who grew up on a council estate in Northern Ireland, before securing a place at Cambridge University. On the school’s website, she writes: “At Marlborough, individuality is encouraged and differences are celebrated—we are genuinely excited about the prospect of our community spanning pupils and staff who come from all walks of life and with all types of different experiences. This, in turn, ensures that the College remains a vibrant, diverse, and happy place where new perspectives, new ideas, different characters, and aspirations flourish.”
The Princess of Wales—then known as Kate Middleton—is known to have enjoyed attending Marlborough, which she joined midway through the academic year after being bullied at her previous all-girls school, Downe House. She thrived in the co-educational setting, and was a member of both the hockey and cross-country teams, achieving two A’s and a B in her A-levels, securing her place at the University of St Andrew’s. Catherine counts many of her school friends as close friends to this day, including Prince George’s godmother, Emilia Jardine-Paterson, and Alicia Fox-Pitt. Her previous experience of bullying will likely be shaping her decision-making, with the princess reportedly being a strong advocate for a co-educational setting.
Other family members to attend Marlborough include Prince George’s aunt and uncle, Pippa Matthews and James Middleton, as well as his father’s cousin, Princess Eugenie. Famous alumni include the poet John Betjeman, the artist William Morris, and Samantha Cameron, fashion designer and wife of former British Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Were George to attend Marlborough, it wouldn’t be the first time that an heir to the throne’s education has broken with tradition. Indeed, Eton as a royal rite of passage is a relatively new thing. Prince William was actually the first major royal to enroll at Eton, as his father, Prince Charles, and grandfather, Prince Philip, and uncles Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were all educated at the Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun.
So why did Prince Charles and Princess Diana choose to send William to Eton? The top private school—which counts 20 former Prime Ministers amongst its former pupils—was first and foremost a lot closer to home than Gourdonstoun, and was renowned for its unofficial status as a feeder school to Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, and father, John, 8th Earl Spencer, were both Old Etonians, and it was widely rumored that Prince Charles had wanted to attend the school. It also wasn’t totally without royal precedent, as three of the Queen’s cousins, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and Prince Michael of Kent, were also former pupils, and the Queen herself had undertaken lessons in constitutional history there.
It seems that there are similar impulses behind William and Catherine’s desire to send George to Marlborough, particularly as they are so keen for him to have as normal a life as possible—one that emulates the childhood of his mother and her siblings. At Eton, he would be one of a handful of extremely privileged boys who will go on to be at the top of their chosen fields, but at Marlborough, he will meet a wider variety of people, both boys and girls, while still thriving academically. While Eton is known for its educational quirks—including its own language (teachers are known as “beaks,” for example)—Marlborough, while still prestigious and historic, feels more modern.