Prince Harry and his brother Prince William famously attended one of the UK’s most prestigious independent – or private – secondary boarding schools, Eton College, and one of their strangest traditions is going viral.
The Berkshire-based institution that has seen 19 British Prime Ministers pass through its halls, among many other elite individuals, costs upwards of £21,000 per term; however, it is not its fees that the internet is obsessing over.
While every school has its quirks and traditions, this one in particular is exceedingly strange and bears a striking resemblance to the old nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty.
Upheld by students across the decades, including the younger son of King Charles, the Eton wall game is a time-honoured sporting event that culminates in a final match on St Andrew’s Day.
It is unique to the school and involves a mixture of football and rugby, two teams and a starting point against a 1717 brick wall that lines what has been dubbed The Furrow, a 110-meter-long strip on the college grounds.
Living up to his former daredevil reputation, Prince Harry was famously pictured covered in muck, shouting at his teammates during one of the games in 2001.
While clips of the wacky tradition resurface and garner millions of views on TikTok, HELLO! is taking a look at how to play the game fit for princes and prime ministers.
© AFP via Getty ImagesPrince Harry played in the Wall Game at Eton College in March 2003 between a school team and a team of Old Boys
What is the Eton wall game?
Put simply, the niche sport unique to the private school is a mismatch of other ball games entirely made up by the Etonian students. Believed to have been founded in 1766 by the King’s Scholars, pupils who lived in the college.
The game begins with two teams, a College team against an Oppidan team (students who live in boarding houses in the town), lining up alongside the wall that runs along the B3022 road between Slough and Eton. Two “bullies” face each other and engage in a scrum-like formation over a ball, with the offensive team aiming to move said ball from out of the bully. Once the ball has been released, a player is then tasked with running the ball into space.
“Points can then be scored by a shy (one point), a kick to goal (five points) or a goal itself (ten points). A goal is a particularly rare phenomenon, with only three having been scored in a St Andrew’s Day match in the entire history of Wall Game and none for more than one hundred years,” according to Eton College’s website.
The two most important matches of the sport take place on St Andrew’s Day in the Michaelmas half and Ascension Day in the Summer half.
It was given its name due to the nature of the starting line-up, whereby the Oppidans team climb over the wall during the St Andrew’s Day match, after throwing their caps over it, while the College team march down the grass from the far end of College Field, towards their opponents.
© Tim Graham Photo Library via GetHe played for the Oppidans in 2001
Prince Harry takes part
Known for his spirited energy in his youth, Prince Harry was a keen player of the wall game and was pictured in the scrum of the St Andrew’s Day match in 2001, aged 17.
He played for the Oppidans team in a position known as “Lines”, similar to that of a rugby flanker. The young prince wore a purple and orange striped jersey and white trousers with white shorts over the top.
Emerging from the ruckus activity covered in muck and grass stains, he was spotted laughing and joking with friends as he played the competitive game.
Not the only royal to have tried their hand at the unique sport, Prince William also played the physical game.
© Getty ImagesThe young prince played in the “Lines” position
The internet reacts
Following the re-emergence of clips of the infamous Eton game, users on social media expressed their confusion as hordes of uniformed boys flew over the high wall and landed on the grass below during the St Andrew’s Day match entrance.
Posted by an account named ‘anoldetonian’, the video garnered 1.6 million views and hundreds of comments as social media users tried to figure out what was happening.
One said: “What’s happening here, folks? I don’t speak Harry Potter!”, while another penned: “Did we learn nothing from Humpty Dumpty?”
“Football as we know it today has roots from here, I believe. That’s what A Level PE taught me anyway,” an account shared.