Kate Middleton has a royally hard decision to make.
The Princess of Wales and her husband Prince William’s eldest child, Prince William, is getting ready to embark on a new journey once his time at his current prep school, Lambrook, comes to an end.
William wants his 11-year-old son to follow in his footsteps by attending the prestigious all-boys boarding school Eton, but according to royal sources, the princess would prefer her eldest son attend a mixed-sex school like Marlborough College in Wiltshire.
Kate attended that school herself from 1996 to 2000.
George is allegedly on board with the idea of going to Eton, but Kate is said to be “heartbroken” at the thought. The mom-of-three thinks the elite school is too “stuffy” for him.
“Kate’s preference is for George to be at a co-educational school, so he can be with his siblings, which is what Kate experienced at Marlborough with her sister, Pippa, and brother, James,” royal expert Katie Nicholl told The Mirror. “It was a very happy school life for her, but William has very fond memories of Eton, which has a long history with aristocrats and members of the royal family.”
But Nicholl also admitted that the prince and princess could make a totally different decision no one saw coming.
“There’s always the possibility of traditions being changed,” she argued. “William and Harry didn’t end up following in their father’s footsteps by going to Gordonstoun [in Scotland], and it may be that George breaks the Eton mould and ends up somewhere else. “
“Whatever happens, it’ll be a decision made by William and Kate with George’s best interests factored in,” the expert added.
According to tradition, royal children have either typically been home-schooled or sent to boarding school. King Charles III and his two son’s William and Prince Harry, 40, all attended boarding school.
Charles, 76, boarded at Cheam School in Berkshire starting at eight-years-old, which made him the first heir to the throne to attend a “civilian” school. Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales, 42, and his brother Prince Harry, 40, both attended Ludgrove School, also in Berkshire, from the same age, before going on to Eton.
George and his siblings, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, first attended Thomas’s school in Battersea, London before switching to Lambrook in 2022 after their move to Adelaide Cottage, according to OK!
All three currently are enrolled there.
Nicholl also told The Mirror that the trio enjoys their time at school and it has gives them a sense of stability during tough times, such as when Kate underwent cancer treatments this past year.
“When Kate was in hospital, George was on the football pitch playing with his friends,” Nicholl revealed.
She added: “That sense of normality, of keeping the family going at one of the hardest times they’ve ever gone through, was important. The school gives them a great infrastructure and a great support network, and allows the children to live a regular childhood – a low-key, happy, albeit privileged childhood.”
Meanwhile, these days, along with decisions on her children’s schooling, Kate is gearing up to return to public-facing duties in full following her cancer diagnosis.
The princess has spent much of this year behind closed doors following her abdominal surgery in January which was closely followed by her cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
But her husband has now offered a promising update on her health, revealing Kate will assume a more active role in the royal fold in 2025.
Kate announced in September that she is now “cancer-free.”
“I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment,” she announced in a statement on X.
“Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes.”
