Princess Charlotte is quietly getting on with her studies at Lambrook School in Berkshire – but her parents are already thinking about her future.
HELLO! understands that William and Kate have started looking at schools for their ten-year-old daughter, including Wellington College in Berkshire and Kate’s alma mater, Marlborough College, in Wiltshire.
Charlotte, who is very sporty and is a keen runner, currently attends the same school, Lambrook, as her brothers, Prince George, 12, and Prince Louis, seven. She’s expected to stay there until she’s 13. The focus is currently on George, who is in his final year, but the Wales family is also considering Charlotte’s next steps, and is already thinking about her options.
In the latest episode of HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast, Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of The Good Schools Guide, said Wellington College in Berkshire is one contender for Charlotte’s future school.
“I’ve been told Wellington is a possible school for Princess Charlotte,” Melanie said on the podcast. However, she emphasised that the royals will be considering multiple schools, adding: “I suspect with the royals that the normal rules possibly don’t apply. I feel as though they may be holding multiple places at different schools.”
Watch the full podcast episode below:
Why Charlotte could go to Wellington College
Charlotte will be taking her ISEB pre-test exams in Year 6 and will later take her Common Entrance exams before going to secondary school in Year 9.
Melanie explained that Wellington is only a 15-minute drive down the road from the Waleses’ family home in Windsor and is co-educational, meaning Charlotte could continue attending school with Prince Louis; their older brother George is hotly tipped to be going to all-boys school, Eton College. Wellington could also be a fitting frontrunner for Charlotte, as Marlborough College, attended by her mother the Princess of Wales, would be over an hour away from home.
Melanie said: “If Charlotte is going to a co-ed, it might be that they would want her to be joined by her brother Louis. Logistically, that would work for them really, really well. It’s 15 to 20 minutes straight down the M4 from Windsor Castle. With security, maybe ten minutes. It’s a nice, easy journey.
© Getty ImagesPrince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis currently attend Lambrook School
“The interesting thing about Wellington is that if Charlotte were to go there, she would most probably come home on a Saturday afternoon after her sports fixtures. It tends to be a full boarding school, but it’s de facto weekly boarding. They have a lot of people who live fairly locally in London and around. Whereas Marlborough is a little bit of a different kettle of fish. Number one, it’s a lot further away.”
Wellington’s holistic approach
It’s likely that the culture at Wellington would strongly appeal to Kate in particular due to the school’s focus on mindfulness, mental health, and wellbeing – topics that have particularly resonated with her since her cancer diagnosis.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesWellington College in Berkshire, where Princess Charlotte could potentially go
Melanie said: “It was turned around some years ago by a very famous educationalist called Sir Anthony Seldon, who parachuted in and took a very average school and made it absolutely exceptional.
“And one of the things that he introduced was a real focus on wellbeing, mindfulness, and strong mental health. It’s a very inclusive culture. When we talk about Wellington, we don’t ever really hear of anybody talking about toxic behaviour or bullying. It seems to be somewhere where anyone can go and really make the most of it. It’s in a very supportive environment. They have, on their senior leadership team, job titles such as Head of Future Flourishing.”
Founded by Queen Victoria
Wellington also has centuries-old, strong existing royal links. Its establishment was first proposed in a discussion between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, in 1853, as a national monument to the late Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington.
The late Duke of Wellington had played a key role as leader of the British forces in the Allied army, which opposed French Imperial expansion under Napoleon Bonaparte, eventually defeating the French forces at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. As a result, he was seen as a national hero.
Queen Victoria agreed that the most fitting and lasting tribute would be a school to educate the sons of army officers who had died in service. She was deeply involved in the school’s early years, laying its foundation stone in 1856 and officially opening the college in January 1859.
Since then, Wellington has expanded to not only welcome military families, but its strong connection to the Armed Forces may appeal to the Waleses given that William will become Head of the Armed Forces and Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces, when he is King.
Where is Prince George going to school?
Prince George is in his final year at Lambrook and will be attending secondary school in September, though it is yet to be announced. The top contenders are widely considered to be Eton College in Windsor, a traditional all-boys school attended by Prince William and Prince Harry, and Kate’s old school, the co-educational Marlborough College in Wiltshire.
© Anwar HusseinPrinces Harry and William, pictured in 2000 at Eton College, famously attended the all-boys school
Melanie believes the Waleses will likely opt for Eton for George, following in his father’s footsteps. She said: “My guess at the moment is George to Eton, Charlotte and Louis to a co-ed, possibly Wellington, which would be great because it’s 15, 20 minutes down the road from Windsor Castle.”
© UK Press via Getty ImagesThe three siblings could end up going in different directions
Like Wellington, Eton would be close to home. Melanie said: “You can see Eton College from Windsor Castle. So that would be lovely for George to be able to pop home. And the boys now are allowed a little bit of freedom to pop in and out of school at the weekends, to come home for Sunday lunch or tea on a Saturday evening after their sports fixtures.”
To listen to the full conversation with Melanie and to find out more about royal education, watch the full episode of A Right Royal Podcast above.