Prince George has long been suspected to head to his father’s alma mater, Eton College, when he starts secondary school in September. But the soon-to-be 13-year-old has also been rumored to be attending Princess Kate’s old school, Marlborough College, and there’s several other potential options. While George’s choice should be set in stone by now, no official announcement will likely be made until the summer. It will mark an exciting moment for whichever school he chooses, but one expert in British prep schools said that it’ll also be a “burden” for his future headmaster.
Speaking on Hello! Magazine’s “A Right Royal Podcast,” Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of The Good Schools Guide, said that children’s prep school choices in the U.K. are typically set by year six. Prince George will finish year eight at Lambrook School in July, but Sanderson said that “the normal rules possibly don’t apply” to the future King.
“It feels as though they may be holding multiple places at different schools,” Sanderson said of Prince William and Princess Kate, adding, “if they’d made a definitive decision, somebody would know and it would be out.”
The educational expert said she thinks Eton will be the ultimate choice for George as the future King, but if the Wales family wants to keep all three of their children together, he could be looking at a different school like Oundle in Northamptonshire or Wellington College, which is very close to Windsor.
No matter where George attends, it will be a double-edged sword for the institution. Noting that although it would be great PR for his school, Sanderson said “it’s a little bit of a poisoned chalice.”
“Theres a lot of extra work and security and attention on your school from the press, for example, that goes hand in hand with that,” she explained. Having the future King attending your school is “a great burden and a huge responsibility for any headmaster or headmistress to carry,” Sanderson added.
When Prince William enrolled at Eton, it was announced in June 1995, just three months before he began his studies. If William and Kate follow precedent, the public will have to wait just a bit longer to find out where George will be heading this fall.
