This Tuesday, 13-year-old Prince George has to put on his new school uniform for the first time - the collarless white shirt, the striped trousers and the black jacket with the swallowtails. This is the rule at Eton, the most traditional boarding school in England, which, according to its own credo, sees itself as a “modern, forward-thinking school” that is “open to innovation and new possibilities in order to offer an outstanding, progressive and well-rounded education”.
From the perspective of a 1,000-year-old monarchy, this is absolutely true. George's grandfather, King Charles III, was the first crowned head in Britain to ever attend school instead of being educated by private tutors. However, the king does not have happy memories of his time at boarding school in Gordonstoun, Scotland, which was founded by the German reform educator Kurt Hahn, who was able to escape there from the National Socialists. Charles reportedly later described the place as “Colditz in Kilts,” alluding to a notorious German prison for captured British officers during World War II.
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The school fees are 70,000 euros per year
The current king preferred to send his own sons William and Harry to Eton, and heir to the throne William is now following suit. The hasty return of Prince Harry with his family means that his children Archie and Lilibet will also be among the English school starters this Tuesday, although the institution to which the Duke and Duke of Sussex entrust their offspring has not been made public for security reasons.
In any case, like Eton, it will be a private educational institution. This can be seen from the fact that the private school year generally begins a week later than the state school year, regardless of the hefty fees that have to be paid for lessons there. At Eton boarding school they currently amount to the equivalent of around 70,000 euros per year, while George's cousin's primary school costs are probably half as much.
Warning information to the parents of classmates
British newspapers reported at the weekend that parents at an exclusive private school in the Cotswolds had received a newsletter from the school management informing them that new children in a family could potentially attract more public attention; Therefore, it should be remembered that taking photos or videos of classmates remains strictly prohibited.
The letter supports the speculation that Harry and Meghan have settled in the picture-perfect landscape, whose idyllic hills between Oxford in the east and Gloucester in the west hide the estates of numerous English aristocrats and wealthy personalities. They include Sir David Beckham and Lord David Cameron as well as King Charles III. himself, whose country estate Highgrove is also located in this landscape.
Prince William and Princess Catherine also recently issued a notice to the public, addressed not only to fellow students and their parents, but also to journalists and tourists, that the privacy of Eton student George Wales should be protected. After all, his educational institution is not discreetly located in the countryside, but in the middle of the small town of the same name, Eton, which in turn is only separated from the equally picturesque small town of Windsor by a historic iron bridge over the Thames - one of the most popular destinations for city travelers visiting nearby London.
On Sunday George can go home for lunch
And the boarding school students are easily identifiable in Eton's medieval setting because of their school dress, even if their outfit no longer includes a top hat. Its obligatory wearing outside the school gate was abandoned in the years after the Second World War because the silk for the hat covering was difficult to obtain at the time.
The school's location may have been a deciding factor for George's parents when choosing a school - after all, the Prince of Wales's family has their main residence in the extensive Windsor Park, and the eldest son could come home for lunch on school-free Sundays (the youngest year groups at Eton still have lessons on Saturdays, and this day is also reserved for sports competitions). Prince William occasionally crossed the Thames Bridge on his days off decades ago to be treated to tea and sandwiches at the castle opposite by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
