Prince George could be the first male heir to break centuries old tradition & it’s down to Kate Middleton’s key decision
PRINCE George could be the first male heir to break a tradition that is centuries old – and it’s all down to a key decision by Princess Kate.
Kate Middleton, 43, has been seen ‘touring two north London day schools’ in recent weeks, as speculation continues to mount about where Prince George, 11, will be educated when he leaves Lambrook.
The young royal currently attends co-educational Lambrook with his siblings Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.
It has long been reported that the Princess and Prince of Wales are both keen for their children to attend the same school moving forward, with rumours swirling earlier this month that they had settled on Marlborough College.
And sources told The Mail on Sunday that Kate is so likely to select the £59,000-a-year Wiltshire school for her three children, that the discussion has not become a matter of if Prince George will attend when he turns 13, but which house he will call home.
But if George does become a pupil at Marlborough, it will be the first time a male heir will attend a co-educational school.
Insiders have suggested the decision has not yet been made, as sources told MailOnline how the Princess of Wales was seen at two schools in the same week in December.
The Princess of Wales toured round the £10,000-a-term, “boldly academic” University College School (UCS) in Hampstead after term ended for the festive break.
The same week, Kate looked round Highgate School, located two miles away, which was closed for a “special VIP visitor”.
The insider explained that while either school would be an ‘unexpected’ choice for Kate and William, 42, their priorities may have shifted in the last year following the Princess’ cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy treatment.
The source claimed: “With the year Catherine has had, she may well have thought to herself that she wants to soak up every drop of George’s childhood and tuck him into bed herself each night.”
It had been a custom for royal children to attend Gordonstoun in Scotland, a leading boarding school and one of the UK’s top independent schools.
But this tradition broke when King Charles, 76, and the late Princess Diana chose to send Prince Harry, 40, and Prince William to renowned prime-minister-pumper and unofficial Oxbridge feeder-school Eton College.
This came following Charles’ apparent disdain for Gordonstoun, which he attended from 1962 to 1967 and famously dubbed ‘Colditz in kilts’.
Will Prince George go to a state school?
ROYAL pros have discussed the possibility of Prince George ditching an education at Eton College for time at a state school.
Speaking to royal reporter Bronte Coy on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive, royal experts Richard Palmer and Katie Nicholl spoke about the significant decision looming for Princess Kate and Prince William in regards to Prince George’s schooling.
Katie acknowledged the Waleses’ desire to shake things up, as she claimed: “I think the big question is, is it going to be Eton and following in tradition and obviously George going to an all boys’ school, or will they break the tradition and go to a co-ed?
“I don’t think they’re at logger heads and I’m not dressing this up as a row, but it’s a big decision they’ve got to make.
“They’ve been around to see the schools and I guess at some point we will know what they’ve chosen to do.”
Meanwhile, Richard Palmer chimed in: “Personally, I think it’s a great shame that our future head of State doesn’t actually go to a state school.
“And I think it would be fantastic if that were to happen.
“I think Katie’s right, it’s second nature for people of their social background to send their kids away, clearly if George is at Eton they’re just around the corner, but I think what tends to happen is that the kids themselves don’t want to be going from home every day because they’re not then really at the heart of the school community.
“You want to be a boarder, so I’m guessing all of the kids will end up boarding, even if they go to schools very close.”
Meanwhile, Kate Middleton is said to have thrived at Marlborough, which has an extensive list of illustrious alumni, including Princess Eugenie, 34, and comedian Jack Whitehall, 36.
Kate’s siblings, Pippa Middleton, 41, and her brother James Middleton, 37, also went to the college, which Kate attended between 1996 and 2000.
The College claims to be “academically ambitious, offering a progressive, challenging and enriching curriculum broadly based on the National Curriculum”.
The mixed-sex, private £47,000-a-year school is more than an hour’s drive from Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, but the co-educational school does have full boarding facilities.
And the prospect of Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis accompanying Prince George at school, just like their uncle and aunt accompanied Kate, may well be an appealing one for the Princess of Wales.
In the Tatler Schools Guide of 2022, it was indicated that Marlborough is ‘steeped in history’, but also has its sights ‘set firmly on the future’.
The school has undergone extensive building work, bringing it up-to-date with all the latest and greatest curriculum-enhancing facilities, including a state-of-the-art science block, professional music recording facilities, and an ‘innovation centre’ for STEM subjects.
Not only this, but the school appears to share in William and Kate’s dedication to philanthropy, with Monday and Wednesday afternoons committed to local voluntary work.
Kate wants a school that suits all of her children and keeps them grounded
Royal insider
According to Hello!, Prince George has already been offered a place, with a house “earmarked for him.”
However, the Waleses’ are said to be concerned that Marlborough has become “too flashy”.
A source told MailOnline: “The 2024 version of Marlborough may be quite different from how Kate remembers it.
“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.”