While the snippet has sparked more speculation about where Prince George will start school this September, Vanity Fair has learned that the Prince and Princess of Wales are also considering a new school for Princess Charlotte after they were spotted visiting Oundle, a coed boarding school in Northamptonshire.
“When they were photographed visiting Oundle School, people assumed it was George, but in fact it was to consider options for Charlotte as she may also leave [Lambrook] at the same time,” a source tells Vanity Fair. “There are lots of things they are discussing in terms of schools, and it’s possible that there may be two school leavers at the end of term. The firm favorite for George is Eton.” (Both Prince William and Prince Harry are Eton College alumni.)
Both William and Kate Middleton want their children to board. Prince William loved his time at Eton, where he would sometimes be allowed to leave the school grounds to visit his grandparents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle, or “WC,” as William would jokingly refer to the castle. Catherine boarded at the all-girls house, Elmhurst, at Marlborough, where she was on the tennis team as well as the field hockey team along with her sister, Pippa.
Prince William and Princess Charlotte
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Initially, Marlborough was considered the first choice for George, because it is coed and would have meant that all three siblings could be together. But according to royal expert Charlotte Griffiths, Eton is now the front-runner.
“The Wales family’s school decision has been a royal merry-go-round which continues to spin, even now, close to the end of summer term,” she said. “Eton was always the obvious choice for George, but Catherine has changed her mind many times and I’m told she’s ‘been like a yo-yo.’ This is to her credit as she knows how important it is to get the decision right for the future king.
“They did look at Oundle for George, but now I think they could be considering it for Charlotte. The school prides itself on forming children who are ‘never arrogant’ and that’s very in keeping with the Middleton ethos, which is why I think Catherine likes it.”
William and Catherine were spotted visiting the Northamptonshire school, which would cost 46,000 British pounds per year to board Charlotte, to meet with a housemaster earlier this month.
Added Griffiths, “It has a junior school which starts at 11, so it could be that they are looking at it for Princess Charlotte.”
The palace will make an announcement in due course.