Princess Charlotte is still a few years off secondary school but rumours are already circulating about where she might attend her high school years.
Charlotte’s older brother Prince George will commence secondary school later this year and he’s expected to attend either Prince William’s alma mater Eton College or Marlborough College, the school his mother Kate Middleton attended.
While Charlotte is only 10 years old, royal experts are already discussing her future education prospects, with the prestigious Wellington College in Berkshire being named as a strong contender for the Princess’s secondary schooling.
“I’ve been told Wellington is a possible school for Princess Charlotte,” Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of The Good Schools Guide, told A Right Royal Podcast recently. “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.”
Wellington College is only a 15-minute drive from the family’s home and it’s also co-educational, meaning Prince Louis would be able to attend alongside his older sister when the time comes.
“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 10 minutes. It’s a nice, easy journey,” Melanie explained on the podcast.
“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.”
Melanie believes the school might appeal to Kate because of its emphasis on wellbeing and the student’s mental health.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
Princess Charlotte currently attends the Lambrook School near Ascot in Berkshire, alongside her brothers George and Louis. In the second half of the year, George will graduate from Lambrook and begin attending his chosen secondary school.
