The Duchess of Sussex hasn’t even given birth yet, and we’re already talking about the education of the Royal Polo Baby. It’s a weird thing, and the Cambridge kids have gotten it too – I think it must be one of relatable things about royals: royal couples have differing views on education. It’s tradition versus modernization too. I maintain that if Meghan gives birth to a son, there will be the same expectations there are for the Prince George and Prince Lou: it will be expected that they send boys to Eton, home to the most elite boys in Britain. I think royal girls won’t have the same expectations – Princess Charlotte might end up going to Marlborough, which is Kate’s alma mater. If the Sussexes have a girl, they’re pretty much free to educate her anywhere. So what do you make of this?
Will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry forgo royal tradition when it comes to the education of their future child? The pregnant Duchess of Sussex and the Duke of Sussex are said to be considering sending their first-born to the private, co-ed ACS Egham International School in Egham, Surrey. Formerly known as the American Community School, ACS offers an American curriculum to students aged 4 to 18. It is also conveniently located opposite Windsor Great Park, close to the couple’s future home, Frogmore Cottage, on the Windsor estate.
While William and Harry both went to Eton College for boys. William and wife Kate Middleton’s eldest son, Prince George, 5, started attending Thomas’ London Day School, which is also British but co-ed, last fall. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex “are thought to want a more diverse education for their child,” a source told E! News, adding, that “Meghan is also keen for her child to be fully aware of his or her American heritage.”
Kensington Palace has not commented. The Sunday Times said that some in royal circles have been speculating that Harry and Meghan might choose an American school for their child, who is due in the spring. Kensington Palace had said that the two would move into Frogmore Cottage early this year.
KEEN! Well, if Meghan insists on an education with an American bent, that could really mean anything. I don’t know – I don’t even think American schools are world-renowned for giving kids all of the education to prepare them for the future, but again, this is still very early. It also struck me that Harry really might not want to send a future son to Eton – didn’t Harry come close to getting expelled from Eton for cheating? So maybe Harry and Meg really are looking at tons of other options. Also: while the move to Frogmore is definitely happening, I have my doubts that Frogmore will be their permanent homebase for years and years to come. I think they’ll move back to London in a few years, honestly.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red.
They said Harry would have benefitted more from Gordonstoun rather than Eton, due to his personality. Perhaps he wishes to take into consideration his child’s personality when choosing a school for a better “fit”.
Maybe…but wait….the source is E news? Maybe not lol
That baby belongs to the crown
So it will go to where lizzy says… sad reality.
Well this is pure speculation, Eton is also near Windsor for that matter. I guess the will try to taylor their children’s education to their abilities and personalities. Any school in América and the Uk will be full of people who know who Polo Baby is, so I reckon anonimity is out of the equation, but a good program fitting their child intereses and strong points maybe the focus.
I honestly think they’ll have a London home in the end too. The Gloucester are renovating their apartment but moving out? And as their family grows (kids, nannies, etc) 2 bedrooms will be tight when they come to town. Their office is still headquartered in London. I think they’ll end up in London for the weekdays for school and work, and Frogmore for weekends and breaks.
So ship your tweener kid off across the ocean? I thought they were moving away from that pattern? So the kid will grow up just as detached from their parents as other royals now? I’m pretty sure Eton allowed Will and Harry to spend more time with family because of being so close by. Sending the kids off to the US seems like regression.
It’s an American school in England. They’d be in the same area.
Did you read the article? The school they’re talking about is in Windsor, not in America.
The American School is a bunch of schools across the world that people like American diplomats send their kids to.
They wouldn’t be sending PB off to America for school.
Ahh missed that part. Good to know.
Actually, no, they won’t get any more free time than all the other students get. My nephew attends Eton and they are quite strict as to when parents can visit and when students can go home. They also are quite….uh…insistent? that everyone gets the same treatment. The biggest difference between their experiences at Eton is which house they live in. Each house has a different vibe and the house mothers run things differently.
you might want to read the article before posting
I think it would probably be a wise decision if they sent their children to American schools. The problem is In the UK once George Charlotte and Louis become older Harrys and Meghans children will become like Andrews children now. Always kind of second rate to the heirs. In the states they could use their wealth and privilege and the American news media would live it. There is certainly going toi be a big divide between Williams and Harry’s children as time goes on. It will be hard as it has been for Andrew and Ann’s kids.
Meghan seems to be very calculating (I mean it in a good way) and I’m sure she’s been thinking about that
If they are anything like their parents, Harry and Megs kids will never be second rate. The will get as much attention or even more than the Cambridge kids.
I don’t think the Sussex kids will end up in quite the same “not quite a contender status” as the York girls. Harry seems much more popular than Andrew historically was. And Sarah was quite attention-getting for a while when they were first married. But I think Meghan is a much smarter cookie than Sarah — she’s taking the long view in setting up her family as an indispensable part of the monarchy’s PR machine. I don’t think Andrew and Sarah ever thought that far ahead.
I don’t understand why they would need to go to American schools to use their advantages to get ahead in the US later on? This would be an international school in the UK that they would be attending for starters – it is not a school actually in the US. Secondly, you can get into US universities with English high school equivalencies. So what difference would it make to what they do later in life?
Why don’t they send them to St Thomas , Battersea if they end up in London. It would be nice for both Polo Baby and little Louis. Maybe mend some fences between the bros.
I agree. I also don’t see why Harry and Will not getting along needs to come between their kids. Andrew and Charles have never gotten along, but they didn’t keep their kids apart because of it. Part of the reason that St. Thomas was picked was so George could go to school with Maud Windsor (Prince Michael’s granddaughter). Not many can relate to their lives and it would be nice if they could rely on each other.
“Are said to be”; “some in royal circles” – don’t you just love the specificity of these sources?!
Is it sure PB will go to boarding school? I really wonder if Meghan would be on board with that.
Cart before the horse, can’t they wait until the baby is born?
I think it would be a great idea. It will also mean that they’ll be on the American calendar (their standard leave dates for summer/start of term are earlier than ours), so Polo baby could go to US summer camp, etc without missing school.
I’m British and I’ve even circled ACS schools as a potential for that very reason (besides the schools having amazing facilities), so I wouldn’t be surprised if an American did as well. They offer IB education, or at least the ACS school in Chobham does (different one to Egham), so they’ll still receive an education transferable to U.K. universities.
ACS schools do have amazing facilities, but I work at a Russell Group university and I’ve seen that the students often struggle if they attempt to reintegrate into the UK system at university level. Studying three subjects intensely at A level prepares students for UK undergraduate life studying a single subject much better than the US or IB systems.