Before the Princess of Wales was hospitalized and MIA for almost two full months, there was a long-running story in the British media about Kate’s refusal to send Prince George to Eton. It’s not that Kate has an aversion to Eton specifically, she’s just anti-same-sex education and anti-boarding school. In the past year, she was apparently visiting other schools which George could potentially attend in a few years, when he turns 13. One of her favorite choices was her alma mater, Marlborough, which is co-ed and part-boarding school and part “day school.” As in, kids just attend like a normal school and go home every afternoon, but some kids board. One of the last times we heard about this Wales debate was in a story from In Touch, in which Kate reportedly “gave in” to William’s demands that George attend Eton, his alma mater. But not so fast – apparently, Kate is well enough to still have opinions on all of this (??), and she’s now considering a different co-ed school.
As the Prince and Princess of Wales ruminate over the difficult choice of where to send the future King to secondary school, a new institution is reportedly in the running. The Mail on Sunday reported this weekend that Kate, 42, and William, 41, have listed the prestigious Oundle School among their top choices for their eldest son, 11, who will be leaving primary school this summer.
It comes amid reports Kate’s alma mater, Marlborough School in Buckinghamshire, where fees are £47,000-per-year, runs the risk of being ‘flashy’ with a source revealing the Princess of Wales’s style is ‘understated wealth’.
In contrast, Oundle School in north Northamptonshire claims to help shape its pupils into ‘decent’, ‘open-minded’ and ‘ambitious’ adults – but never ‘arrogant’. The institution, founded in 1556, boasts that pupils, known as Oundelians, ‘share the town of Oundle’ with residents as its buildings are scattered around the area in an open campus which includes a chapel and a cricket ground.
School fees at Oundle for full-time boarders are £34,515 per year for Year 7, but the fee rises to £45,435 from Years 9 to 13. Fees for day pupils at Year 7 are £22,350 per year, rising to £29,370 for Years 9-13.
Although Prince William and Prince Harry were both educated at Eton College, just a short distance from Windsor Castle, it has not been confirmed if Prince George will follow in his father and uncle’s footsteps. He has also been linked with his mother Kate’s former school, Marlborough College, where Pippa and James Middleton were also educated. The Mail on Sunday reported George has already been allocated a ‘house’ in a safe location and given a housemaster at the school if he does eventually attend.
But there is said to be concern that Marlborough has become ‘too flashy’ after a rise in its popularity with ultra-rich families due to its association with the Middletons.
‘The 2024 version of Marlborough may be quite different from how Kate remembers it,’ a source said. ‘It’s become a little more jet-set. Lots of parents have villas in Ibiza, chalets in Verbier or a private jet, which isn’t Kate’s style. She prefers understated wealth.’
They added: ‘Kate wants a school that suits all of her children and keeps them grounded.’
LMAO at “She prefers understated wealth.” I shouldn’t comment, but no, Kate is not all about understated wealth. I realize that rich folks in Britain prefer to act like they have no money, but “acting poor” is only a thing when you actually have money. Besides, everything about Kate and the Middletons screams “pretending to be nouveau riche.” The Middletons couldn’t even keep up the nouveau riche appearances without their house of cards collapsing though. I would also guess that Marlborough was always a school which appealed to flashy rich families, which is probably why the Middletons sent Kate there, so she could learn how to social climb. Anyway, I doubt anyone is seriously considering Oundle – George will end up going to Eton, I can pretty much guarantee that. It will be interesting to see where Charlotte and Louis end up going though.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.