Seems Prince George will be attending Eton after all, same as his father and Uncle Harry.

Anniebach

George 6th had no problem being the spare

Until he found The Spare was required to take on the Top Job for which he was unprepared but did his very best and was very popular.

Louis has already been criticised in the press, Tiggy, unfortunately, which made me think that he behaves like any other normal little boy 🙂

Urmstongran Did you know there are over 100 boys at Eton paying no fees? I didn’t. They're not all "elite". Many are very normal, others are very rich. It's a complete mix. They are all clever though. I hope he can keep up.

I assumed many are normal income, all are clever.

His grandfather can afford tutoring for entrance papers if failure is feared.

George Vth was also the Spare as was Henry 1st, Charles 1st, James 11nd and Queen Anne! In fact, a fairly common occurrence, so why Harry behaved as if this position was somehow peculiar to him, goodness only knows!

MerylStreep

A friend of my Grandson won a scholarship to Eton.

www.echo-news.co.uk/news/local_news/10254070.southend-maths-prodigy-12-wins-eton-scholarship/

I live in this area and remember this lovely story. My son attended WHSB but would have before this ultra bright young man joined year 7. My Grandfather taught at this school which my father (his future son in law) also attended

George 6th had no problem being the spare

Yes, I’ve read ‘Spare’ Tiggy.

I bet William and Catherine will make sure Charlotte and Louis don’t suffer by being ‘spares’.

It’s only Harry who has been fussed by it, don’t recall Andrew, ( for all his faults), Edward and Anne ever referring to themselves as ‘spares’.

Am sure the children will either have roles in the family, or some sort of career.

It’s started already - George is only 10 and he’s being discussed positively/negatively by all and sundry. Has anyone read ‘Spare’? 🤔 It won’t be long before Charlotte and Louis are being criticised for their every move. (Spare1 and Spare2?)

I think wherever George goes it will be tough for him as he is so well known and will therefore stand out from the others which most kids hate. The King is on record as saying that other boys at school took great delight in squashing his face in the mud at rugby just because of who he was. If his school had been nearer London, as the Queen Mother argued for, at least he could have escaped more easily now and then.

Mel1967

Why is anyone worried about which school Prince George will go to.
Unless, us, the taxpayer is paying, why should we be concerned?

I don't think anyone is either worried or concerned because as agreed on here, the parents will make the right decision for the child. His current school will also know him well enough by now, and will have a fair amount of input.
I think it's an interesting enough topic to discuss because most people have experienced their children's or grandchildren's transition to senior school with some trepidation.

Mel1967

Why is anyone worried about which school Prince George will go to.
Unless, us, the taxpayer is paying, why should we be concerned?

Gives us something to discuss.

Why is anyone worried about which school Prince George will go to.
Unless, us, the taxpayer is paying, why should we be concerned?

My children went to local schools, they were happy and now in their late thirties have strong bonds and friendships made from age 3

We aren’t wealthy or famous. If we had bern my choices for them would have been different. I still would have wanted them to go to school close to home so friendships and stability were possible. The quality of education would still have mattered. The main difference would be we’d be living in a wealthier neighbourhood

Paul mcCartney's children went to the local state comprehensive, but i saw something that suggested, that were he to go back he wouldn;t do that again.

His children were constantly seen as 'different' because their father (and mother) were so famous, so rich etc etc. and there were security problems

In a private school where some of the other children's parents will be rich and/or famous the Royal children will be able to be just another child in the form, not particulalry noticed or singled out. A private school will also be more familar withthe security issues surrounding some children.

It finally comes down to parental choice-just as M0nica demonstrated her exercised her right to parental choice.
100% this, and it works both ways.
Our DS1 passed to go to a grammar school in the top 10 of the country's secondary schools. But, and I dont dare mention how we made the decision, we chose an independent school where most of his friends were going.
PS it involved the 🐕.

I seem to think, though I can’t be sure, of course, that Kate and William’s children have had the nearest thing to a normal family life that any royal child in the recent years has had. Like many aspirational parents (of any class), and unlike the older members of the Royal Family, they will have taken a hands on approach with their children’s education. Education doesn’t stop when a child comes home from school. There’s no reason to assume that any of their children will not be bright, surely?

I just hope he is happy wherever he goes, he is the future king if England so I assume boarding schools inevitable. My DH went to a boarding school, don't think it did him many favours!

Grantanow

Mollygo

Calendargirl

I don’t suppose they considered a State comprehensive school

No, I don’t suppose they did.

And if I were them, neither would I.

I wouldn’t either. Not because of the potential for a good education but because of the need for security.

Surely there will be some security costs at Eton. The extra security cost at a State school would be offset by not having to pay fees.

No it wouldn’t, by any means. State schools have no security, whereas Eton already does, so the cost of site security as well as personal security would be far higher than the cost of the fees if he went to a state school. I’m not arguing the rights and wrongs, just stating the facts.

George will have school friends who will go to Eaton

I understand that Prince George wants to go on to Eton, following in his father's footsteps. He apparently greatly admires his father and copies him in many ways, school being one of those ways. As Eton is boys only, perhaps Princess Charlotte will attend Marlborough? Compromise is a wonderful thing!! Prince Louis will probably head for Eton, time come.

I’m thinking of the welfare and security of all the children. What an extra incentive (which some of them already do without the need for that) to have some turn up at the school with knives or guns, just for the thrill of shooting the heir to the throne, uncaring of the fallout on other pupils.
What a thrill for those who see it as ‘fun’ to disrupt lessons to be able to boast that they had done it in George’s class too.
What a disruption for the parents dropping their children off at school and finding even fewer parking spaces because of the security fleet. I’m not saying any of this wouldn’t happen at Eton, but presumably they have things already in place.
It finally comes down to parental choice-just as M0nica demonstrated her exercised her right to parental choice.

Mollygo

Calendargirl

I don’t suppose they considered a State comprehensive school

No, I don’t suppose they did.

And if I were them, neither would I.

I wouldn’t either. Not because of the potential for a good education but because of the need for security.

Surely there will be some security costs at Eton. The extra security cost at a State school would be offset by not having to pay fees.

Freya no one is mocking the child. We know nothing about his ability, we know nothing about his parents' wishes. What we do know about is the profile of the type of child Eton will accept, and the selection procedure. We can, therefore, have a purely speculative discussion if we wish. No one is casting aspersions about his educational abilities. I personally wish George well at whatever school he will attend, as I would any child, at any school, and I hope he will be happy.

Callistemon, it seems fairly clear that girls benefit from single sex high schools. Boys do better in mixed high schools.

Seems to be a lot of inverted snobbery on here, and casting aspersions about the, guessed at, educational abilities of a small boy. Shame on those who mock.

Eton accepted Prince Harry, so not every boy there is a high achiever.

Eton has always offered scholarships to children from local state schools. We lived in Berkshire when DS was 11 and it was suggested to us that he should sit the Eton scholarship exam. We decided against it.