The Battle of the Boarding Schools: Will Prince George Attend Eton College (Prince William’s Alma Mater) or Marlborough College (Princess Kate’s Alma Mater)?

Though it was all but assumed that Prince George would follow in his father Prince William’s footsteps and attend Eton College, it looks like the prestigious boarding school has some competition—in the form of Princess Kate’s alma mater, Marlborough College.

For the second time in two months, a member of the Wales family was spotted touring Marlborough, The Daily Mail reports; the £47,000 per year school is co-ed, as opposed to Eton, which is boys only—something William and Kate would surely appreciate, as they are keen to keep all three of their children together for school, as they are now at Lambrook. The Daily Mail reports that “speculation that the prince will not follow his father to Eton College is growing,” adding that Kate “attended Marlborough and is said to have flourished there,” excelling in sports like field hockey and tennis.

“Kate is said to not be a fan of single-sex schools like Eton, and reportedly ‘absolutely hated’ her time at Downe House, an all-girls boarding school in Berkshire, where she was allegedly targeted by bullies,” The Daily Mail writes.

No firm decision has yet been made about George’s future school but, after visiting Marlborough alone in October, Kate was joined by William and George for a second visit on December 1; the three also toured Eton in June. Both William and Prince Harry attended Eton, which is nearby Windsor Castle, and, while William found solace at Eton after his mother Princess Diana’s death, Harry wrote in his memoir, Spare, that the school was not the right fit for him. 

Lambrook educates pupils up to age 13, which means George will go to whatever school the Wales family chooses in 2026, when he turns that age. Both Marlborough and Eton have similar application processes involving assessments and interviews that begin when pupils are around George’s age (he turned the milestone age of 10 this past summer).

The Mirror reports that there have been “heated debates” taking place within the Firm on whether to allow George to attend Marlborough instead of Eton, thereby breaking precedent. “After years of discussion and heated debates between William, Kate, and King Charles, the family have made a choice,” a source told that outlet (though it still remains unclear whether a choice has been made or not). “They’ve decided that he and sister [Princess] Charlotte will attend boarding school together. They’ll both be students at Marlborough. This way, George and Charlotte will have a few years where they’ll overlap at the same school.” 

After their visit to Marlborough, William, Kate, and George “enjoyed a low-key lunch at Tray’s Café at nearby Barrs Yard in Hungerford with their security detail hovering nearby,” The Daily Mail reports. A member of staff at the café—which is a 15-minute drive from Marlborough—told the outlet that the trio were “utterly delightful” and “couldn’t have been nicer.”