Princess Kate wants her kids to go to ‘unstuffy’ coed schools where they won’t be bullied

We’re still getting different-but-same-y stories about Prince George’s education. To recap, for the past two years, there’s been tons of reporting and speculation about whether George will go to Eton. It’s clear that Prince William wants George to go to Eton, which is William’s alma mater. It’s also clear that the Princess of Wales is doing everything she can to fight that choice. Kate really, really does not want her oldest child to go to an all-boys boarding school, especially a posh one where many of the toff/aristocrat boys are sent. She wants George to go to a coed school and she really doesn’t want him to go to a boarding school. Every so often, we’ve been getting updates about “Kate visits such-and-such school” and “but William still wants George to go to Eton.” Here’s the latest update:

Prince William and Kate Middleton face a “huge dilemma” as parents to a future king. The Prince and Princess of Wales reportedly have strong opposing views about which school their eldest son, Prince George, should enroll in. The 11-year-old is second in line to the British throne.

“There has been much speculation surrounding Prince George’s next school,” British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital. “The discussions have been circulating for years, with the Prince and Princess of Wales reportedly arguing and debating the decision for years. I’m surprised the bookies haven’t initiated a bet on which school Prince George will attend next autumn! Most parents find choosing a good secondary school for their children daunting, even more so for the Prince and Princess of Wales, who want the best for Prince George.”

Chard said there’s a good reason why William and Kate are reportedly sparring over their choices.

“There has been a long line of unhappy schooling within the family,” Chard explained. “King Charles was very unhappy at Gordonstoun. Eton wasn’t suitable for Prince Harry. Even Princess Catherine was bullied at a secondary school. Therefore, she is committed to securing the perfect fit for Prince George. And let’s face it, the world is their oyster — they have the pick of all schools. Princess Catherine has allegedly made it clear that she would rather Prince George attend an unstuffy co-ed school. However, Eton College, the Berkshire-based school that educates boys aged between the ages of 13 and 18, has several high-profile alumni and has educated generations of the aristocracy. Referred to as ‘the nurse of England’s statesmen,’ the school is the largest boarding school in England, ahead of Millfield and Oundle.”

“Sources claim there’s been a debate between the prestigious all-boys school, Eton College, and Marlborough College, the co-ed school which all three of the Middleton siblings attended,” Chard continued. “Eton College is the most suitable location and security-wise. It is close to their cottage in Windsor. The college is located in the Windsor security corridor and is financially covered. This is a big brownie point.”

Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner claimed to Fox News Digital that Kate wants to prevent her son from being bullied, just as she was as a child. She believes her choice is more laid-back for the young royal versus the stuffier Eton.

“School days for Kate at times were not the happiest as she experienced bullying, so she leaned more towards a less conventional education for George than William,” Turner claimed. “William, on the other hand, wanted to keep his traditional education by sending George to Eton College, which he enjoyed, and let him keep in close contact with Harry. Kate favors a more relaxed education for George rather than the structured life at Eton which, although it has many opportunities, is steeped in tradition. Who will win? I suspect George will go to Eton.”

[From Fox News]

I suspect George will end up at Eton too, but I think it’s interesting that Kate is putting up such a huge fight about it. She’s really spent the past two or three years touring various coed schools and leaking all kinds of stories in an attempt to publicly pressure William into changing his mind. I also wonder if this is part of a larger argument in which Kate will “lose” and George will go to Eton, but Charlotte and Louis will end up going to the coed school chosen by Kate. Personally, I think Kate wants all three kids to go to Marlborough because it’s close to Bucklebury. Kate will use that as a chance to get her own place, close to her parents and far away from William and the royal machine. But what do I know?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

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40 Responses to “Princess Kate wants her kids to go to ‘unstuffy’ coed schools where they won’t be bullied”

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  1. She thinks someone will bully the future King of England? The heir to the throne who will have protection officers nearby? Ok well if that’s what she thinks an all boys school will do then she will be in for a rude awakening because bullying can happen at a co-ed school too. So she was bullied? Well than you would think she would not be a mean girl but here we are.

    • Me at home says:

      Charles was apparently bullied pretty ruthlessly at his private boarding school. Harry and William didn’t have an easy time of it either. That said, bullying can absolutely happen at private co-ed day schools, ask my daughter. Perhaps the bullying is worse if you’re living with the bullies 24/7. But it’s much easier to find your own people in a huge school like Eton (I think 1,200 students?) than in a small private day school. Kate is delusional if she thinks she can protect her kids from other kids this way, or if the public will buy the “no bullying” argument.

      • Blogger says:

        She could homeschool them. Before Chuck, the heirs and heiresses were privately tutored like QE2.

        Might be better too for a one-on-one. Lazy and Will are both thick and they would have benefited from better instructions on what their role required.

      • Canterbury says:

        @blogger, you mean * Kate * could homeschool them??

        I. Know you weren’t being literal but that made my day 🤣🤣

      • Jennifer says:

        I’m still in awe that anybody would bully a future king in school. Do you not think things through? Because your bullying victim will be the ruler of the country and have more power than you. You want to make enemies with something like that for life?

      • somebody says:

        @Jennifer But what could the king actually do to you? Some of the aristocrats probably have far more influence and would feel free to bully. The royals are also bullied by the press and take no action.

    • Sueinorleans says:

      Charles was bullied at school. Being the future. King didn’t matter then, I suspect it wouldn’t matter now. I actually agree with Kate on this, and William should maybe ask George what he wants before being all what I say goes.

      • sunnyside up says:

        George has said that he wants to go to Eton, it is only Kate who wants all her children at the same school.

    • Nic919 says:

      The kate being bullied story has a lot of holes in it because she did not board at the prep school prior to Marlborough and the story was that she was bullied in the dorm. But she wouldn’t have been staying there.

      In any case, George will have more protection at Eton. William said he got targeted during sports matches a bit more, but he wasn’t bullied. George will be treated the same.

  2. Blogger says:

    In that case, send all three to a state school or the local comprehensive. But Lazy aspires so she’ll cost the taxpayers more with Marlborough.

    You’ll never be one of them Lazy. Your kids might, but you and your mother flew too close like Icarus and are crashing and burning.

  3. Me at home says:

    This definitely reads as Kate wanting the kids closer to home so she can use them as an excuse to continue not working. Also, she’s enmeshed with her own parents and never fledged, so she may want the same for her own children.

    On a separate note, this reads like Fox News reached out to Chard, not the other way around, to find something to pad their royals coverage for their (America) royalist readship.

    • First comment says:

      To me, this reads as kate and her mother wanting her children (grandchildren) close and especially George who would be the future king in order to be able to influence him….I believe this is the crucial fight: keeping George close to his maternal family or letting him go somewhere else where he may be influenced by others..bullying could happen anywhere and I don’t believe that Kate has problems with boarding school as she, herself, was boarding and she was happy with it….

      • Blogger says:

        Most definitely a matter of influence. Carole bought her daughter’s way into the royal family via Marlborough.

        The parents at Eton would look down at such blatant arriviste behaviour by Carole and wouldn’t welcome her wisteria ways there.

        Generations of Spencers went to Eton, hence Willie and Harry went there. If Willie wants to prove a point that he still cherishes the memories of his mother, he’d send George to Eton. So this is Carole bitching to her tabloid rats about her loss of influence.

  4. Hypocrisy says:

    Well I’m going to state the obvious, but I think we all know with the incandescent rage that goes on in that household odds are these kids will be the bullies not the victims.

  5. Lady Esther says:

    What strange wording: that Eton “is located in the Windsor security corridor and is financially covered.” What does “financially covered” mean? Covered how and by whom, and why is it different if they choose a different school?

    Does it mean that if George gos to Eton it’s free for the Waleses, whereas if George goes to say Marlborough the Walses have to pay out of pocket? How interesting if true and it could add an additional reason why William wants it so badly as he is known to be miserly….

    • Nikki (Toronto) says:

      Don’t other dignitaries’ children, both foreign and domestic, attend Eton? Perhaps they have a security detail paid for by the state as a result.

    • First comment says:

      Yeah, I wonder about that too…perhaps, they are talking about security?

    • Canterbury says:

      Sounds like geographically already covered by security so there wouldn’t have to be as much money put into protection of routes and buildings, and the like. That’s inbuilt So the rpos just do their job.

      I always remember when Obama became president the anoint of work they had do for their Chicago residence. Closing off roads, sentries, entry points, passes. It’s that stuff.

  6. ThatGirlThere says:

    No mother wants their babies bullied but Kate should be the example. She willfully took part in bullying Meghan driving her to suicidal thoughts — and her husband is still up to his dirty tricks. She needs to stop using her kids as props.

  7. ML says:

    I’m no Kate fan, but I’m inclined to trust her instincts here. The fear of bullying line has bern consistent, and it’s potentially why they switched to Lambrooks. Harry had a different memory of going to Eton with his brother than William seems to. My guess is that most schools can be retrofitted to security if necessary, because that is going to be a requirement. If the security is a no-go, then the school won’t work. Marlborough is still in the running. I honestly don’t think Bucklebury is the main reason, I think she’s trying to advocate for George. He should get final say, though.

    • Blogger says:

      Willie had the Straubanzees at Eton but given Lazy’s aversion to socialise with other people, she has failed to cultivate the social ties required for her kids to transition successfully.

      And looking at these three kids, who’d want to be friends with them when you have Carole the gorgon who’d go to the rats with whatever stories she can sell to them? The people who send their kids to Eton and Marlborough are far more well connected than Carole. They have more to lose if their kids become friends with the Middleton grandchildren – such as their privacy.

    • Nic919 says:

      Neither William or Harry ever said they were bullied at Eton. The school didn’t meet Harry’s academic needs but frankly William would be the one who knows what happens at Eton as the heir to the throne.

      Kate really has no idea and there is no guarantee Marlborough wouldn’t have bullying there either. It can happen at any school.

  8. Mads says:

    He’ll go to Eton; it’s an Establishment bedrock and William won’t give a second thought as to whether it’s the right environment for George.

    Publicly, George presents as very uncomfortable when out at royal engagements and more relaxed when attending football matches with his Dad, so I wouldn’t have thought Eton the best choice yet we have no idea what he’s really like. At home, he could be a mini tyrant in the making and Eton the ideal place for him 🤷‍♀️

    • Tessa says:

      George needs to have friends his own age. Other than one or two games, George was dressed in a suit and sitting with adults. At least one or both of his siblings could go with him. George does not look totally relaxed at t hose games. William is yelling while George looks a bit uncomfortable. He looked more comfortable when with his cousins and was laughing with them.

  9. Jas says:

    I’m with Kate here. It’s not surprising that as a mum she doesn’t want her kids at single sex boarding schools.
    There have been many stories from ex-students about the harms Eton and similar English schools cause. They sever family relationships and really stunt emotional development and leave children vulnerable to bullying from other students and even staff.

    • LRB says:

      Sorry I totally disagree with you. Having been to a single sex English boarding school I can assure you that they can be really positive places where lifelong friendships are made. The reality of life today is that kids at any school can and are bullied mercilessly because of the issues around social media etc. I have brothers and really enjoyed the sisterhood of having girls around me . That isn’t to say single sex boarding is good for all, but it is certainly not bad for all either. I was much closer to my widowed mother after I went away to school, because she had time to concentrate on being the sole breadwinner working long hours, but then had more time for us all in the holidays.

      • bisynaptic says:

        Single-sex schools for boys are different than for girls.

      • Nic919 says:

        Neither Harry or William said they were bullied. Harry said his brother ignored him there and the school wasn’t the best for him. None of that is bullying.
        Charles didn’t have RPOs with him at Gordonstoun, whereas Harry and William did.
        George is not going to get bullied just as his father wasn’t.

  10. Tessa says:

    I don’t think Kate has all that much influence. Diana had wanted Harry to go to a school other than Eton but it did not happen.

  11. sunnyside up says:

    “Send George to Eton College, which he enjoyed, and let him keep in close contact with Harry”
    When Harry went to Eton William told him to pretend he didn’t know him. Which was daft, all the children would know anyway.

  12. Amy Bee says:

    Considering she’s very stuffy, I don’t believe she has any problem with George going to Eton.

  13. Arhus says:

    Seems like they’ll be bullied regardless of where they go.

  14. Kat says:

    What about the local comprehensive school then?.They are nearly all co-ed and never stuffy!.

  15. Durga says:

    Without a school run, whatever will they do?

  16. kirk says:

    Wow – what a horrid picture of Kitty Katty giving the clergy her finest freak face! What the heck was that conversation even about? Anyhow, here story version 5,928 about Willy and Kitty tussling over George. No wonder the kid looks depressed.

  17. Liz-L says:

    Charles was sent to Gordonstoun by Prince Philip to ‘toughen him up’. That era is gone.

    If anyone so much as said a wrong word to George the palace would step in. W&K have that power at their disposal that many other parents don’t. Her concerns are unwarranted and just an attempt to look like a concerned caring mum.

    • Nic919 says:

      Exactly. Even Harry and William didn’t face that kind of bullying because of the RPOs nearby at Eton.