For the past 70 years, members of the British royal family have been stepping beyond palace walls for their education. King Charles was the first to do so in 1956, when his mother Queen Elizabeth, who was educated at home, and his father Prince Philip decided he should attend school rather than be taught by a private tutor.
Seven days before his eighth birthday, Charles began at Hill House School in West London. Ten months later, he became a boarder at Cheam School in Berkshire, and later went on to study at his father's alma mater, Gordonstoun in Scotland.
Charles' schooling marked a shift in royal education that continues today. "It's only really since King Charles and his siblings, that we've had a direct line to the throne, who are actually being educated in school. That in itself is a departure, and a fairly recent departure," Grace Moody-Stuart, The Good Schools Guide's Consultancy Director, tells HELLO!.
The King's firstborn, Prince William, now-the Prince of Wales, attended private schools, as did his second son Prince Harry. William and the Princess of Wales' children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, have followed suit, starting with private nursery schools as toddlers.
A place to "thrive"
As for why the British royals opt for private schools, Grace believes they are "no different" from any other family wanting to "do the best they can for their children, and to find a school where their child will be happy and thrive."
Following nursery school, George enrolled in 2017 at Thomas's Battersea, where he was later joined by his sister. In 2022, all three Wales siblings began attending Lambrook School. Come September, George will start at Eton College, following in his father's footsteps.
According to Grace, William and Catherine have demonstrated "a dedication" to searching for schools for their kids. "They haven't just gone 'Oh, I went to Eton, therefore my son's going to Eton,' which is what a lot of Etonian fathers do. They've really looked at other options," she says. "They've obviously had boarding, particularly in mind, because they haven't, as far as we know, considered day schools. So that was clearly one of the things they wanted for their son."
Grace adds: "Other than that, they've really tried to find the right school, and I think that's what's interesting about them as a couple, is that they've really thought about it carefully in the way that you'd hope every parent would, and they have the ability to send them to a private school, an excellent private school, and they thought about it hard."
© Jonathan Brady - Pool/Getty ImagesWhy private education suits them: 'They can be themselves'
A "good school" where George, Charlotte and Louis can "thrive" is what Grace believes William and Catherine look for when it comes to their children's education.
"Given that they are special, and the eyes of the world are upon them, the private school environment offered something where their children would feel comfortable, secure [and] safe. Not necessarily because they've got fleets of security guards, but just feel safe and feel able to be themselves without feeling that they stand out a huge amount," she says. "They're always going to stand out a bit, but not a huge amount."
Of course, security is a factor, but, in Grace's opinion, it's not the "overriding reason" behind the Prince and Princess of Wales' decision to send their kids to private school. She argues it would be a "big ask of any" public school to accommodate a child like the Waleses, as it can place "pressure and burdens" on the institution.
"If you actually probably talk to individual headmasters of independent schools or private schools in the UK, 'Are you really sad that George hasn't come to your school?' They'd probably be breathing a sigh of relief, because it's a huge responsibility, both in terms of security and in terms of trying to keep the school functioning as normally as possible, so that people aren't making a big fuss," Grace says.
© Getty ImagesPrince William once remarked that he "really enjoyed being able to go about Eton as just another student." Not feeling "like he was special" at the school is something that "obviously really matters," Grace suggests.
"If you go to a state school, or a public school, as we call them, and there's all the security around that, and you stand out like a sore thumb, it's very difficult [to] just feel like you're just one of the regular pupils," she says.
Giving back to the community
For George, who is poised one day to become the head of the Church of England, Eton fosters a "real Christian ethos," Grace notes. "The chapel is a very daily part of Eton life," she says, calling it "very significant" that the school's Christian ethos is woven into the fabric of the institution.
Grace also highlights a "sense of service" in private schools, a value that no doubt resonates with the royal family. "I think the values of service is a really important element to an Eton education, and I think there's a strong sense of service inevitably in all the royal family, particularly those who are going to be potentially King or Queen one day," Grace says. "It's really about the values as much as you know the other pupils or everything else in terms of the royal factor."
At Eton, Grace points out that students are taught to give back and not be entitled. "I think that in a way is the most crucial aspect of the values," she says.
© Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesThat approach is not unique to Eton. Thomas's Battersea and Lambrook, other schools picked by William and Catherine, also believe in "giving back to the community," Grace says, adding: "I think a lot of independent schools do hold those values very highly, and therefore that will have been a factor, and it's partly because they are privileged. They recognize, they're expensive schools. People who go there are largely very privileged from privileged backgrounds, and they need to be aware of that and to give something back."
What's best for the individual child
Ultimately, William and Catherine's choice of schools for George, Charlotte and Louis was about selecting the best fit for them.
"Not the best schools," Grace clarifies. "Because you know, some people would say Eton is the best school in the world. An old Etonian might say that, but it's not. It's got to be for the right child, and I think that's also significant, that they've clearly thought very hard about whether George, particularly, will be happy there, because not every boy is going to thrive at Eton. Prince Harry was quite open about the fact that he found it very challenging, and I think, you've got to be really sure. It's definitely not for every child."
"What I think is impressive, is they've thought hard about whether their child will be happy there, and they've come to the conclusion he will be, and I'm sure they're right, because they know their child, and they've done the really thorough research you'd expect of them."
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