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Why Prince Charles broke palace tradition aged 8

The Prince of Wales was a trailblazer without knowing it

prince charles school
Rachel Avery
Homes Editor
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The Queen's first-born Prince Charles broke a long-standing tradition aged eight simply by attending school.

MORE: Does Prince George and Princess Charlotte's school break this rule just for them?

It was commonplace for royals to be taught at home by a private tutor and not attend an actual school, but eight years after the Prince was born in 1948 he was enrolled at Hill House school in West London by his mother. When Charles started school on 7 November 1956, he had already been the heir to the throne for five whole years, also having been bestowed many traditional titles such as the Duke of Cornwall and the Prince and Great Steward of Scotland.

WATCH: Prince Charles makes rare comment about fun childhood

Prince Charles only attended this school for around ten months before moving to the boarding school Cheam School.

The next school Charles attended was Gordonstoun in Scotland which has a close connection to his late father Prince Philip, as the Duke had also been a pupil there.

MORE: Where the royal family went to school and university - see who broke tradition

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the queen family© Photo: Getty Images

The Queen decided she wanted to send Prince Charles to school

It has now become custom for young royals to head off to boarding school, with both Prince William and Prince Harry following suit when they were old enough.

It is still unknown whether Prince George will follow in his father's footsteps and take the plunge at a boarding school as he currently attends Thomas's School in Battersea.

prince geroge

Prince George could be set to attending boarding school 

There is also the option of being a day pupil, going in and out of the school rather than residing there. This is the option Kate Middleton experienced for a while during her school years and it's also reported that Prince Edward's daughter Lady Louise Windsor does the same.

On the contrary, the Queen herself doesn't even have a formal education behind her – having not sat one exam! However, Her Majesty was taught alongside her sister by their mother and governess Marion Crawford.

It is believed the monarch was taught reading, writing, maths, history, dancing, art and singing, as well as picking up languages French and German.

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