For years now, there’s been a fight between Prince William and Kate over their eldest son’s education. Their fight has spilled out into the tabloids, as Kate has telegraphed for years that she does not want to send Prince George to Eton, which is where Prince William and Harry went. Eton is arguably the most prestigious all-boy prep school in the UK, it’s where prime ministers, aristocrats and even new-money Brits send their boys to prepare them to take over the country. But Kate wants all of her kids to go to co-ed schools, so they can go to the same school. She also hates boarding schools and would prefer to have her kids at home with her for as long as possible. As I’ve said before, Kate got her way on the kids’ early education, but I feel strongly that she’s going to lose this battle over George going to Eton. Still, Kate’s hagiographer Katie Nicholl was sent out to talk more about the Eton issue.
Kate and William’s three children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, first attended Thomas’s school in Battersea, London, and then, when the family moved to Adelaide Cottage, moved to the £47k per year Berkshire independent preparatory school Lambrook in 2022.. And, as royal expert Katie Nicholl tells The Mirror, the royal couple’s brood have a very enjoyable time, there – one that, most vitally, has given them a sense of stability during uncertain times, as their mother Kate continues her cancer treatment. “When Kate was in hospital, George was on the football pitch playing with his friends,” says Katie. She adds: “That sense of normality, of keeping the family going at one of the hardest times they’ve ever gone through, was important. The school gives them a great infrastructure and a great support network, and allows the children to live a regular childhood – a low-key, happy, albeit privileged childhood.”
It is no secret that the pair have previously clashed over this huge decision [of their children’s education]. William wants George to follow in his footsteps by attending elite single-sex boarding school Eton, but according to royal sources, the Princess would prefer her eldest to do what she did, and attend a mixed-sex establishment like Marlborough College in Wiltshire, which she went to from 1996 to 2000. Young George is allegedly all for the idea of going to Eton – but his devoted and modern-thinking mum, Kate was said to be “heartbroken” at the thought of her son attending the prestigious school, which she is thought to feels is too “stuffy” for him.
“Kate’s preference is for George to be at a co-education school, so he can be with his siblings, which is what Kate experienced at Marlborough with her sister, Pippa, and brother, James,” says Katie. “It was a very happy school life for her, but William has very fond memories of Eton, which has a long history with aristocrats and members of the royal family.”
The decision they make will, of course, be one they feel is best for their little ones’ futures – but it will clearly not be easy. And Katie adds that the Prince and Princess, renowned for doing things their own way, could well surprise royal onlookers with their decision. “There’s always the possibility of traditions being changed,” she argues. “William and Harry didn’t end up following in their father’s footsteps by going to Gordonstoun [in Scotland], and it may be that George breaks the Eton mould and ends up somewhere else. “Whatever happens, it’ll be a decision made by William and Kate with George’s best interests factored in.”
The thing about Charles going to Gordonstoun is that he hated it and he always wanted to go to Eton, which is why he made a point of sending his sons to Eton. William did not hate Eton at all, and he still has many friends from his time at Eton. That’s why William wants George to go to Eton, because William has mostly happy memories. Again, this is not a battle Kate is going to win. You can tell that Kate has lost because she’s still making these public appeals via friendly reporters.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images & Kensington Palace.