For years and years, whenever anyone spoke about Prince William and Kate’s laziness, we were huffily told that they are “hands-on parents” who prioritize their children’s school runs. That worked for a while, but that excuse is already wearing thin, as more royal experts and royal commentators speak openly about William and Kate needing to do more, travel more, be seen out and about more. The current drama is Kate’s upcoming absence from the Singapore Earthshot Awards in November. The official excuse is that Kate is staying home to “support” George as he takes some kind of important test. The excuses came thick and fast: George has to take this test because something something he’s going to Eton! For years, Kate has gotten “her way” on her kids’ education, but they’re getting to the age where royal protocol demands that the kids go to boarding school. Kate really thought she could keep up the “I have to do the school run” excuse until Louis left for university.
Apparently, Prince William and Princess Kate have argued for a long time over whether Prince George, 10, should attend Eton College, where his dad and uncle Prince Harry were pupils in their school days.
“Kate thinks sending him to such a stuffy, upper-crust institution goes against all of their efforts to modernise the monarchy. Plus, she’ll miss George desperately,” a source said (via OK! US). “She and William argued about it for years, but he has finally won.”
However, George himself is reportedly happy about the move, which may happen when he is old enough to attend the institution. “He wants to be just like his father,” the source said, adding that though Kate “finally gave in, she’s still heartbroken.”
Another reason for the Princess’ reluctance was her own bad experience at boarding school. “She was horribly bullied at her first boarding school, and can’t bear the thought of George suffering through that,” the source continued.
They pointed out that George will easily be able to visit home since he’ll be living close by, but said that this wasn’t quite enough to convince the Princess of Wales.
“There’s also the worry that William will insist the other two kids be shipped out next,” the source said. “Kate knows this is all part of her ‘royal duty,’ but there’s a lot of tension between her and her husband right now.”
Yeah, I genuinely believe that William and Kate have fought about the kids’ education, and I believe that Kate doesn’t want to send any of the kids to boarding school, ever. This is why Kate largely got “her way” on the kids’ early education, because eventually the institution would put its foot down and say that George has to go to Eton, period, the end. The trade-off might be that Charlotte and Louis don’t have to go to boarding school, but it will be interesting to see that play out in real time. Kate has made it perfectly clear that she’s going to use her kids as her biggest excuse for not working until they’re all in their 20s.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.
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- Princess Charlotte and Prince George during the mens’ finals on Day 14 at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club, London, UK, 16 July 2023,Image: 789502286, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights, Model Release: no, Credit line: Peter van den Berg / Avalon
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- Tennis : Wimbledon 2023 – Angleterre – Finale simple Messieurs- Victoire de Carlos Alcaraz Espagne contre Novak Djokovic Serbie – Royal Box – Prince William, Prince George et Preincesse Charlotte regardent la remise de prix faite par la Princesse de Galles,Image: 789705568, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chryslene Caillaud / Panoramic / Panoramic / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, and Kate, the Princess of Wales, speak to young people as they participate in a series of workshops which focus on emotions, relationships and community action at Factory Works in Birmingham, England, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. The Prince and Princess host the forum for young people on World Mental Health Day.,Image: 812603143, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kirsty Wigglesworth / Avalon
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- Marseille, FRANCE – Prince William, Prince of Wales and his son Prince George attend the Rugby World Cup 2023 Quater final match Wales Vs Argentina in Marseille. Pictured: Prince William, Prince George BACKGRID USA 14 OCTOBER 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Marseille, FRANCE – Prince William, Prince of Wales and his son Prince George attend the Rugby World Cup 2023 Quater final match Wales Vs Argentina in Marseille. Pictured: Prince George, Prince William BACKGRID USA 14 OCTOBER 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- The Prince of Wales and Prince George watch from the box during day four of the second Ashes test match at Lord’s. Featuring: Prince William, Prince George Where: London, United Kingdom When: 01 Jul 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales during the Out-Sourcing Inc Royal Charity Polo Cup 2023 at Guards Polo Club, Windsor, which raises funds and awareness for eleven charities supported by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 06 Jul 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Prince William, Catherine Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince George attend day fourteen of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Featuring: Prince William, Catherine Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince George Where: London, United Kingdom When: 16 Jul 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales during a visit to the Car-Y-Mor seaweed farm in St Davids, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, west Wales. Featuring: Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Haverfordwest, United Kingdom When: 08 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales during their visit to the We Are Farming Minds Charity at Kings Pitt Farm in Hereford. Featuring: Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Hereford, United Kingdom When: 14 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to Factory Works in Birmingham to mark World Mental Health Day. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Birmingham, United Kingdom When: 10 Oct 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre to take part in a SportsAid mental fitness workshop Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales Where: Marlow, United Kingbom When: 12 Oct 2023 Credit: John Rainford/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK**
Ugh, he’ll become just as self-centered and snobby as William there. Britain is run through elite cronyism, and Eton is the epicenter, where the peer network of snobbery and nepotism really starts. Actually agree with Kate on this.
Sure but this is all inevitable and predetermined. Why would Kate think she has any say? Or honestly why would him being a massive snob be a problem for her?
Yeah, this is an archaic institution. It’s seems unlikely that Kate would ever really have a say in where George goes to school. And if she thought she had a say, then she massively misjudged. Obviously, I think a mom should have a say but that’s just not going to happen with the Windsors and the BRF.
Because literally the only thing she and the Midds brought to the table was their “refreshing” middle class lifestyle. The way the tabloids covered their engagement, someone thought that that had marketing value for the Royal Family in terms of mollifying people who might otherwise have republican sympathies. If the very idea that her “middleclassness” is good for the royals goes away, she has no value, no leverage, no stability.
And I definitely don’t have a stake in Kate getting what Kate wants. It’s more like giving George a chance to be more normal and not end up like his father.
@Shawna I see what you’re saying and that was ALWAYS the problem with that narrative about Kate bringing a “middle class sensibility” or whatever to the monarchy – because Kate doesn’t WANT to bring that sensibility. She married William because she wanted to be a royal; her family wanted to be royal-adjacent. So the PR push about her being so middle class has always somewhat backfired because Kate doesn’t WANT to be middle class.
So now we’re seeing that play out here. She may know that she has to pretend to be so middle class and pretend to fight the idea of Eton, but she wants George to be Eton. She’s not part of that old school aristo circle, but by god her kids are going to be.
That’s why I would have expected Kate and Carol to want George to go to Eton. Because it’s the poshest and snobbiest. But maybe they’d prefer him to be at home to have more influence over him. If he’s at boarding school and dividing his holidays 50-50 between William and Kate, that’s not a lot of time with each.
It probably won’t be that different from what’s going on now. There seem to be plenty of breaks in the school year in the UK. And Eton is right there, just a few miles from the Windsor estate. It’s not like he’d have to spend time traveling hundreds of miles to get home.
See my comment above responding to Bettyrose about why they’d want to be anti-Eton.
Or maybe with George at home they have the continuing excuse to do f all.
Kate is a social climber. Of course she wants George to go to Eton! She wants ‘posh’ 24/7 365 and to mix with the ‘right’ people. She didn’t work this hard to rise above her station to want her kids to run with the plebs, god forbid!
Snore… this is a non story. Doubt if there was any argument in the first place.
What are the other choice of public schools are there for George to attend? Harrow Boys? Westminster boys? Winchester? Stowe? or Gordonstoun / Fettes in Scotland? Certainly he would be expected to attend a Comprehensive school.
Aside from all being below the pecking order when compared to Eton ,they are also farther away from Windsor. Eton is the school nearest to where they currently reside. Harry & William went there.
Charles went to Gordonstoun at the insistence of Prince Phillip and hated it. So this is a non story just as the reason put out for them moving to AC as Diana lived at KP while H & Willnot were at Eton.
I think this is just a false narrative being put out there to counter the deficit of stories re the RF ( ie keep the bored plebs occupied )or to deflect from other issues going on within the family.
What Cairidh and Jemmy stated above, and Jemmy’s reply to BeanieBean below said!
Kate wants her kids attending the posh schools because this is where they’ll mingle with other posh kids. The best jobs in the UK happen to be filled by people who had the means to attend those schools, of which Eton is an important one. The whole “Catherine the Great” article in Tatler was sourced by people who attended these schools and are part of a network with a sort of subculture (that Kate couldn’t entirely penetrate). Why on earth would she want to deny George this just so she could be a SAHM? Even if she were able to deny George that schooling, she still would never be a SAHM. And Charlotte and Louis will have more need to the future contacts and job positions these types of boarding schools (and potentially “Oxbridge”) provide, since they’ll need to find real jobs. This story doesn’t make sense.
And why wasn’t Meghan welcomed for her outstanding and articulate bi-racial American talent that she brought to the Royal family and which was so needed? Also there must be resentment among British people of working-class background at the urgency to gentrify the Middletons. Kate’s mother, Carole, was working-class born in a council flat, the daughter of a builder and granddaughter of a coal miner. Miners were proud people who formed the very backbone of industrial Britain, so why pretend otherwise? Carole, who was a flight attendant, has reportedly become an unentitled snob whilst Kate is said to put on a more plummy voice than William. So why would she oppose Eton when her own Marlborough education only came about through her parents’ party business. This accentuates the fakery within the Royal family trying to bring Kate especially up to scratch as a future Queen but it will ruin her natural character and independence and the royal protocols will win.
Yeah, Kate’s not wrong here.
Who thinks shipping a 10 year old (or 11 or any under-high-school age) kid off to boarding school is a good idea or a good look? It seems like only among the British aristo set does that NOT look like child neglect and abandonment. The rest of the world sees it as the sh;tty parenting cop out it is.
I think he would be 12 or 13 when he actually goes, and Kate attended boarding school herself, so its not outside the realm of her experience. And Eton isn’t exactly the other end of the earth from Windsor.
I agree DK. It’s a very young age to basically have your kids not live with you anymore. I went to boarding school at 14 and I’m not sure if I could if would be able to send my kids off at that age.
12/13 basically is the start of British high school. Their education system is structured differently.
Eton starts at age 13. William and Harry went to another boarding school, Ludgrove from the age of 8. But they went home for weekends.
I went to boarding school at 11 (normal in my country, all the best schools were boarding/missionary schools). It was a wonderful experience and my best friends today at 60 are from those days. Just because it isn’t the norm in the US, we shouldn’t boarding school is always terrible.
THIS.
Amen to that. Let the kid stay home unless there is a real necessity (like lack of education opportunities nearby) for him to move out at the grand age of 12 or 13.
I wonder: does Eton take day students or do they only take boarders? If he could go during the day, but come home at the end of the school day, wouldn’t that be a reasonable compromise for all parties involved?
Ok follow up question: if it’s likely he won’t go for another two years, why can’t Kate go to Singapore this year bc something something test for Eton?
Like, does a test 2 years before you matriculate really require a parent staying home the day you are at school taking it?
(Also….I mean even if he bombs all the tests and other requirements, Eton is not going to turn away the FFK. Let’s be serious. There may need to be lies told about his results etc but if the king wants G at Eton G is going to Eton. No other option for Eton.)
@Thelma, fair point! I apologize.
I think sending kids to boarding school is a terrible idea especially when they are in their teenage years. Siding with Kate on this one
I liked that green dress on her! Why doesn’t she wear more things like that? That’s her real style
Me too. And the Institution Put the foot down? Many Royals were at Gordounston, the Queen was home schooled. Only William and Harry were at Eton.
George should go to a modern school, with boys and girls. And Eton should be closed down forever.
I was going to point to Gordounston to show that it’s not like there’s a Royal Tradition of heirs going to Eton. It’s just that William went and he wants his son to go, Kate’s opinion doesn’t matter.
@ace the largest number of male royals have attended Wellington college (for ages 13-18) in Berkshire. Including Queen Victoria’s grandson Christian of Schleswig Holstein who was the first royal to attend a public school. It’s now coed and several of Crown Prince Pavlos’s kids have attended. As well as members of a number of really well connected families.
It’s a little over 30 mins from Windsor and 1,5 hrs from Highgrove.
But this is what Kate (& her mother) wanted–this is their entry to the ‘upper’ classes. That’s why Kate was sent to Marlborough. That’s why Kate socialized with these people. All I can think of is what Kaiser suggested–with the kids away at boarding school, where’s Kate’s excuse for not working now? She’s not needed for those oh-so-important school runs.
Unfortunately the aristos have never accepted Kate despite being sent to a posh boarding school and bagging William. I agree that she IS using the kids as a means to be a SAHM for the most part so when Charlotte and Louis come of age will they be packed off to boarding school too? Perhaps by then she’ll be either officially separated or divorced and banished to some country pile to play out her life as an ex-royal.
@BeanieBean – The Middle class do send their children to public schools to increase their chances of getting into top universities / plum jobs not just to get linked to/ marry into the RF/ aristocracy.
I think there is a similar system in the US especially at the University level where having Harvard, Yale, Columbia universities on one’s CV would almost certainly open doors to working with a top company.
Many of the politicians, Top civil servants, bankers, lawyers, actors/ actresses, clergy ( ie Archbishop of Canterbury) went to public schools. They may or may not be married to some aristocrat.
@jemmy, in the US, especially in the New England states, there are also boarding schools that traditionally have served as feeder schools for schools like Harvard and Yale. Most of the ones that I know about start at 9th grade — for high school, and many have an extra post-grad year for students who might benefit from the experience to enhance their college applications. Most are now co-ed.
I think it’s to delay the divorce. Charles didn’t dump Diana till the boys were safely out of the house at boarding school. I think waity katie is holding on to her human sheilds as long as she can in the hope of getting past Charles life and on to that throne.
You know one good thing about boarding school? It gets George away from all the pillow throwing!
Which would be worse, the Midds influencing George or Eton and freedom. What middle class sensibility do any of them have, stalker mother with her grifter family is not a good example for anyone. K seems to use their chidren to create more photo opportunities for herself. George probably has a better chance at Eton.
Members of my family worked at Eton and my son went in for the scholarship exam. Nowadays it’s a pampered existence, great food, no strict rules, just conformity. The only problems are drugs and prostitution. George needs to get away asap from the fights and the embarrassing Granny Midds.
In that top photo no one looks happy. William as usual looks nervous about what his wife will do the two kids, George and Charlotte not looking happy either.
At this point, George just probably wants to get away from both of his parents and their constant fighting.
Those poor little human sheilds I would want to get away from those parents too.
That’s what I thought about the comment about him wanting to go. Sounds like he’s excited to leave an uncomfortable atmosphere.
“‘[George] wants to be just like his father,’ the source said…”
God forbid!!! 😱😟
I hope there is divine intervention from his heavenly grandmother, so that George can grow up to be the best he can be as his own self, and in his own right! Hopefully, he can escape being weighed down by this toxic, overwrought, all-encompassing, damaging institution, which is so hidebound by the British media.
George, who is supposedly nervous just at being tested, is “happy” to be shipped off to boarding school?
Well, supposedly he wants to to be just like his father which is not a good sign at all. The last thing this family needs is another rage monster.
And who will hold his hand before tests while he’s at boarding school?
Shipped off? Isn’t it practically walking distance?
Yeah, they’re talking like Kate will see George once a year. He’s going to Eton. You can basically see it from Windsor castle (I think you can actually see it, but someone with more Windsor knowledge than me will have to confirm.)
Yes, it’s literally walking distance, I’ve walked it myself. It’s just a leisurely stroll over the river.
She’s lucky it’s not Gordonstoun really, that was the “tradition” before William and Harry.
I assumed that was one of the main advantages of Adelaide Cottage and the move to Windsor — that George and possibly Louis would be at Eton for several years, and Kate would be just a short distance away.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Charlotte’s schooling. She might be really looking forward to boarding school, especially if most of her friends will be going.
Irrelevant aside: Looking at that top picture, I just realized that William’s face has been melting into a close resemblance to the Queen Mum. Now I can’t unsee it, and I’m imagining his face topped with one of her elaborate hats. Shudder. His transformation really has been remarkable.
I am 70-something: old, stout, and out of shape yet I walked from Eton College to Windsor Castle. And it did not take long. About 20 mins. I would estimate. It took me almost two hours but I stopped at numerous shoppes and a tea-room along the way.
But it’s still not your bedroom in your parents’ house with your siblings in the room next to you. Really not the same thing, especially at that age.
@LM, as someone who, at George’s age, lived in a 4 bedroom house with my sibling and my parents— prior to their imminent divorce, I can see a lot of advantages to having a well-structured, appropriately nurturing, peer-centered boarding school experience.
@equality, obviously we don’t know for sure, but George might be “happy” about the prospect of going to boarding school. He might not even be “nervous “— as much as used, yet again, to cover for the inadequacies of his parents. Honestly, if he were indeed “nervous “ it would be pretty awful for a concerned, loving parent to publicly call that out, knowing that it would likely become international news. I think it’s awful that Kate’s “excuse” has now become George’s burden.
Even if it is walking distance, are students allowed to leave campus and walk home? Are parents allowed unrestricted access to the campus? Or are there rules that would have to be followed? Of course, rules might not apply to royalty. @Blithe Agree. There is no way to know George’s feelings. I hope that he and his siblings are happy with the terms of their lives. Hopefully, he wanted to attend the game with PW dressed in a suit. And, hopefully, his siblings didn’t wish to attend since they didn’t get to.
I believe also she doesn’t want him to go because then she would have more free time and they would expect her to do more photo ops and such. Her idea of modernizing the monarchy is all of the perks and none of the work. Welfare at its finest.
Exactly this. If all the kids go to boarding school then it’s only 7 more years of using the kids as an excuse for not working much. Personally as a parent I could not send my kids to boarding school so young but I can’t believe any of this is a shock to Kate. She had to know the boys at least would go to Eton. Curious if Charlotte will be kept home. Maybe that’s a battle Kate could win.
Yep. George going to boarding school is one less school drop off she can use as an excuse to not cut more ribbons. All of the kids are in school now, George is almost a teenager, she should be “working” more. The sovereign grant keeps increasing while the royals to less work.
Hmm. . “Kate knows this is all part of her ‘royal duty,’ but there’s a lot of tension between her and her husband right now.”
They are really ratcheting up the marital discord angle.
My eyebrows practically shot to my hairline when i read the last part. I hope they tell us more haha. This is the royal drama i live for
Yeah, they’re saying it out loud more and more lately. Very interesting.
@Teagirl – they are maybe because it’s becoming more obvious that something is wrong but at the same time they are put this “non story” out there to deflect from the real reasons for the disagreement.
“Another reason for the Princess’ reluctance was her own bad experience at boarding school” First of all, there are rotten kids at every school, and second of all, she never actually boarded at a boarding school, did she? She was always a day student, which would make that part of her argument irrelevant. If she’s just a mom who doesn’t want to send her child away for weeks at a time, then that’s fine and that’s probably the only normal thing about her.
The boarding school bullying was said to be stuff put in her bed, but that doesn’t jive with her actually being a day student. Some reporter didn’t get that story straight and now it’s part of the collective lore that Kate was bullied.
No, I think she did board. There’s a weird story about this bc it keeps changing – she went to one school as a day student, and that was when she was bullied* and then she switched to boarding – not sure if she was a day student at Marlborough and then switched to boarding or if she completely switched schools.
*the bullying story has changed over the years, what I initially remember hearing ages and ages ago was that she felt isolated and left out because she was one of the few day students, so that was why she started boarding. That makes more sense to me.
I mean it might not be true but generally I have always heard that she boarded for at least part of high school.
The bullying story was debunked, but that was over a decade ago so the new kate followers wouldn’t know of this.
She was a day student at the school where she was said to have been bullied which was a made up story about her bed. Although someone else who was there said she didn’t understand why Kate failed to make a single friend there.
She boarded at Marlborough where she wasn’t one of the popular people, but was liked. It was claimed the end of school year book listed her as most likely to be loved by everybody.
Seems like Ma Midds started early with the school yearbook editor. Her only regret is not being able to blame Meghan for putting something in Kate’s bed.
She was supposedly bullied at Downe House then her parents switched her to Marlborough. I don’t remember the details of day vs. boarding at either place.
Kate began boarding as a like weekly or part-time boarder at her elementary school/grammar school, St. Andrew’s Pangbourne. She became a “day girl” at Downe House, an all-girls school located close to her parents’ home. After two terms she was transferred to Marlborough, a co-ed school that was no longer feasible to be a day student, and immediately began boarding.
Not being horrible but that kid George…. he’s always so serious and never looks happy or has kind eyes. Maybe he’s got a lot on his shoulders???,
The way royal kids are used and abused is a very big reason to abolish the monarchy.
I couldn’t agree more with you…
I do not like his parents but I think he may have a sensitive and introverted nature. We tend to see him when he’s on show and he may not be comfortable in the spotlight.
George reminds me of his namesake, George VI, also a sensitive man, and a reluctant king. Poor kid. With a man’s man father like that.
I know I shouldn’t say this but for the longest time I really thought George might be on the spectrum. In every picture people would be looking left smiling and he would be looking right crying. Everyone is laughing and he would have a blank stare somewhere else. Then came the fruitcake video’s and I thought it was great. He was present in the moment, interacting with his dad, and grandparents and acting like a young boy. I know people made fun of him in that but he was at least accurately reacting to what was going on around him.
Then came the odd old man laugh at the soccer game and I thought he’s going to be just like his dad and be awkward. He doesn’t really seem genuine or authentic in real time in situations. He’s not natural in the spot light and he does look scared and unsure most of the time. Hopefully he can learn to handle all of the attention in time.
It is quite possible he has testing issues and needs extra tutoring, but I would think the RF would have tons of resources and it not have to be Kate or Bill. I just hope he doesn’t end up like grandpa the cruel and be bullied mercilessly. I hope he finds friends he relates to and feels like he has a place he belongs.
@ecsmom: George has a profoundly insecure Mom, who doesn’t really understand the “rules” to successfully navigate her social environment, yet expects her young, oldest child to master this complex social environment and serve as her own guide and entree into a world that she, herself, is not comfortable being a part of. And he has an awkward — at best — dad. In such circumstances, to use your words, perhaps George HAS always been “accurately reacting to what was going on around him”. You may be assuming that “what was going on around him” was healthier than might actually be the case.
Agreed, Blithe.
I think about how happy-go-lucky Archie was in Harry and Meghan, and I don’t remember any of the Wails kids ever being that way. They try to paint Louis with that brush in the British media, but that’s not happy-go-lucky, it’s defiant.
I can think of one photo where Charlotte looks like she’s giggling, but that’s about it. Do these kids giggle?
@Blithe I do agree with a lot you have to say. We don’t know what happens behind the scenes or what those children are experiencing. What I do see is Charlotte very much at ease, supportive of her brother, engaged much more naturally with the events and people around her. It seems to me the Monarchy by focusing so much on the firstborn allows the spare to more themselves. It really is a curse and I do hope George finds a life he wants.
Honestly, I don’t care. This is giving SAHM/mommy wars vibes. She works some, maybe to the extent it suits her bandwidth and personality. The monarchy isn’t what it once was so I don’t get the demands to “work moarrrrrr”. I am more of a Harry and Megan fan, but I just don’t get all the anger about this. People do what works for them w regards to family and work.
Because she’s literally being paid to work by the British people. Her multiple homes, extensive wardrobe, multiple vacations, jewelry, botox, every exercise class she takes, her cars-it’s all from the taxpayer. Her job is to represent the monarchy and her country, and show the f up to ribbon cuttings and chicken dinners and art fairs and tree plantings multiple times a week. She knew when she married him that this was the gig. If she wanted to just be a wealthy SAHM she should have gone after someone else.
EXACTLY. she gets millions in duchy funding and the tradeoff is that she WORKS. She’s not a rich SAHM.
Yes and she DOES work…maybe not as much as you think she must, but she’s clearly out at events. We see her photo all the time and this site can’t seem to post enough about her. I’m no super fan but the rabid hate is just weird to me.
She does anywhere from 100-150 events a year. Anne outworks her. The duchess of gloucester outworks her. Sophie outworks her. And thats WITH Kate counting things like “phone call with jason knauf” as one of her events.
Someone at the end of the year always puts together the actual days she works, and its usually around 30. She and William get 10 million a year (possibly more) in duchy money. Seems like a fair tradeoff I guess.
@J, please-she’s barely working. I am an OG royal watcher and her work schedule is so light compared to Sophie, Anne, and back in the day, Diana. It’s not “rabid hate” to point out that she has all the perks yet manages to barely put in any time.
@J — rabid hate is not what this is about. We are merely seeing her for the jealous, vapid, disinterested and useless albatross around the tax payers’ necks she is. She has consistently mean-girled Meghan, Eugenie, Beatrice and any other woman who had the temerity to shine in William’s eyes. She has never taken the opportunity to better herself (i.e. learn another language, get public speaking training, taken on public service in any meaningful way other than basic lip service) and for that lack of meaningful service she lives a lifestyle of unimaginable wealth and luxury. All you have to do is take another look at her behaviour at the Commonwealth church service and the walkabout with the Sussexes post-QEII’s funeral. Her expressions and body language said it all. She is seething with hate, jealousy and aggression and she’s the one who is full of rabid hate.
She’s not the average SAHM, she’s supported by the British taxpayers. They have to at least try to keep up the appearance of value for pounds spent on them.
Again, who cares? She works and I assume as much as is good for her mental health and lifestyle needs.
Yes I understand the public pays for her, but there is no law saying how much she must be out there in the world.
Seems like there are multiple posts every week hating on her and it just makes me uncomfortable at this point.
If you paid someone to work 40hrs a week and they only turned up and did one hour a week, wouldn’t you complain about it?
Unfortunately, Kate’s treatment of her SIL makes me more than uncomfortable. There was no reason in the world for Kate to treat Meghan as she did. None. She absolutely could have corrected the crying story. Although that would be hard as it had to have come from her. It was a story that played on racist tropes so yeah it makes me very uncomfortable. And honestly, a lot of the anger over how much Kate works actually comes from the BM. It’s why they count the number of events each royal does. Unless the monarchy is abolished, the transaction of how much work a royal does versus how much public money they receive is going to continue to be either praised or criticized. And that’s true for Kate as a mom and William as a dad.
J, interesting comment. I guess you need to step back and see the wider view. This isn’t only about Cant working as little as possible. This is a woman who went out of her way to mean girl other women. She zeroed in on Meghan and worked in conjunction (IMO) with her hubby to make Meghan’s life hell. You need to pay closer attention to Cant when they have been at these “dos” in the UK. Cant hasn’t any problem letting the world know how she feels about Meghan. This culminated in the way she aggressively walked toward Meghan at the walkabout after QE2’s death. Pay attention to the look on her face as well.
You see that people will not let her off of the hook for not doing what she is supposed to be doing because of the lifestyle that UK taxpayers are paying for. It’s a part of it, but there’s much more to Cant than just that. It reflects rather poorly on her wouldn’t you agree?
There’s something that people tend to forget–or possibly overlook–and that’s the meeting in Spare where Harry describes Cant as gripping the chair so hard her knuckles were white. I think that’s pretty accurately paraphrased. The woman has lots of anger, which she managed to control that day. I wonder what happens when she doesn’t control it? Perhaps what we saw at the walkabout is that anger leaking out.
Pointing out that kate is lazy and barely works compared to all the other royals is not hating, it’s stating facts. And she has been consistently lazy since 2011 as a married in royal. Prior to that she was a 29 year old who never held a job longer than a short months long stint at Jigsaw.
Others posted above about her direct involvement in a smear campaign blasting her own sister in law that lead her to suicidal ideation. I’m pretty uncomfortable with people who are so morally vacuous to stay silent and let that lie exist to this day.
There are plenty of other places to go to to blindly praise her for being white and thin. This place ain’t it.
@J: I agree: whatever parents do is divisive (I just read a great article about what to do with all the Halloween candy and how it might just be the ticket to let the kids actually eat it all on scarymommy) and I think no matter how much we see of the Royals and how extensively they’re covered, we don’t know these people and we certainly don’t know their kids. Let them do what’s best for them (and that may mean that a mom who might have been all in on a lifestyle suddenly realises that it’s not what’s best for her eldest kid).
With regard to the work thing: monarchy is stupid as hell. But she does work, she does cut the occasional ribbon and there are events. Could there be more? Yeah. Should it be possible to work part time and have kids? Also yeah.
The malice with which Kate treated Meghan and Harry, her cousins and many others whilst on her way up the aristo ladder shows that she is lacking in the most basic traits of empathy, respect, compassion and understanding. She is cold, calculating, manipulative and disinterested in anything but herself and her children. Her marriage is dead in the water, she’s living a false life, and is determined to stay in it come hell or high water. That’s all that matters to her — not a life of learning, of service, and of giving back and paying it forward. She lives an empty life of clothing, jewelry, vacations, workouts, cosmetic treatments and extreme dieting. She barely phones in her public outings and her *work* is nothing more than an hour of grinning and jazz hands for the throng of photographers she brings along. So no, you cannot describe what she does as part-time *work*, she works as little as possible and learns nothing to bring to the people she supposedly represents. As @Nic919 says so succinctly above, “there are plenty of other places to go to to blindly praise her for being white and thin”. Why don’t you go there.
@ Jaded: I am not praising Kate, I am simply seeing things differently than you do and yes, I do consider what she does working part-time. Overpaid part-time work, but I am not the one hiring and paying her, living in a country without a monarchy and being glad of it. I do wish these discussions were more measured and less absolute. I’ve been reading this site for ages and quite honestly, being told that I should find another place for gossip stings. For what it’s worth: Harry and Meghan are promoting a kinder way to interact online. Might be food for thought.
No clue what’s really going on here, but since I didn’t have time to comment when this all came up before re: George’s test, I will say this. When I first heard about it, it reminded me of when myself and some of my siblings were first diagnosed with learning disabilities and/or adhd and were struggling a bit with things like testing and having accommodations put in place, especially for tests. Given George’s and the family history of dyslexia at minimum, it immediately pinged my spidey senses as possibly something likely that was at play. My parents were very involved and had to be at that point whereas normally they both might have taken off on a work trip without a second thought. It also could be part of the back and forth on what school environment is best for him.
NOT a fan of Will and Kate, but I do suspect it’s possible this is part what’s going on and certainly two things can be true at once.
Also: Kate will also prob avoid work once she becomes a grandmother to “help”. That said, not sure that’s not preferable to hiring more nannies (not that there’s ANYTHING wrong with that), as people only go around once and the chance for grandkids and grandparents to spend time together can be fleeting. However if that’s the case, maybe the taxpayer amount that supports the princess of wales should be reduced or eliminated.
I personally think the monarchy should never have existed and should be abolished.
I also think it’s no biggie if these two are having issues and want to live separately or even get divorced.
I think at the latest, next time Will is in the USA to get “America on side” he should go rogue and meet Harry and say “hey we’re family let’s forget all the rest of this Firm stuff and I’m sorry” and then try to heal their family from there. I think he will really regret it later if he doesn’t. He and his father are listening to way too many handlers and people who do not have their best interests at heart.
Unless William apologizes to Meghan and is honest about all he has done against her, it won’t really matter what he says to Harry.
William can’t apologise to Meghan until he is free to blame it all on Kate.
While blaming Kate would likely work with the BM, Meghan has seen it all behind the scenes. He could not just blame Kate when apologizing to Meghan. She knows what’s he’s done. All that she has ever said about him was “he’s your brother.”
William can’t just meet harry. Harry made it clear his.brother needs to apologize to meghan
Harry’s children all already growing up not knowing him. I firmly believe he doesn’t want to know them hence Meghan and Harry not bringing them to the UK among other things such as not having a safe place to live and the security issue.. Why subject your innocent children to all that negativity. Until he apologizes to Meghan he won’t see them.
Don’t be ridiculous Marie Claire UK. George will go to Eton and Louis too. Kate really messed up her life by thinking she could have a carbon copy of her childhood and then get to play dress up as a royal once a week and on the occasional holiday. And another thing, Marie Claire UK, exactly when would George go to Eton other than “when he is old enough to attend the institution”? But interesting to see the groundwork being laid for another marital issue between the Wales. Did we have “arguments over the children’s education” on our splitsville Bingo cards?
Exactly my thoughts. This feels like an authentic dispute. And what’s this? Kate not deferring to her husband about how to raise his precious heir? Wow, not exactly the picture of the dutiful royal wife.
Every time I see their eldest I cannot help but think of the actor/comedian, Louie Anderson.
Yep, me too. He looks exactly like a young Louie.
Me too! It’s the eyes and the smile.
Wow more insight into the Keen’s marital problems. Maybe this is all made up but somehow I don’t think so. Is this Kate trying to make William look bad for leaving her “heartbroken” or Wills making Kate look bad for putting a foot wrong (and opposing the heir going to Eton is most definitely putting a foot wrong).
Are they any black,brown kids at Eton?
Yes there are.
They say that 19% of the students are Black, Asian and ethnic minorities. I think that’s pretty recent.
George is the future king and his path was already set, including Eton. I think this is coming out because George seems he is not being prepared for the job he will one day have and the Firm is putting its foot down. Since there is a shortage of “working” royals Charlotte and will be expected to fall in line.
The only way Kate will stop using the kids as an excuse not to work when they’re in their twenties is if there are grandkids by then.
And then we’ll hear how crucial it is for her to be “hands on” with her grandchildren to prepare them for their future roles. Eyeroll.
Yes, and then she’ll have to hold George’s hand while he prepares to be king/becomes king.
So there is a lot of tension between them and the fliers were recently posted around Middleton community about failed business and blaming Ma Middleton. Hmmmmmmmm, the groundwork has begun for sure.
I don’t think this is the crux of the marital dispute. Of course Kate wants George to go to Eton – any other institution would have boarding requirements as well… and not be as prestigious or elite. There is a marital dispute afoot though and whatever is happening in the background, the result is William has never tried to formulate a “personality” outside of his marriage (Kate has done a better job at this — as she is the one who pulls more attention.) William has realized that kate has spent too much time in the sunshine, so its time for her to step back — while at the same time not working less? So this is where we start to see William as global ambassador, friend of the earth, and a shining star in America (hahaha… right?!) The slow roll out for the press digging into Kate in order to elevate William begins.
Hmm, maybe that’s part of the strategy. Kate does more work in the Uk while William the global statesman does more international work. A way to keep them working but apart. Seems short-sighted though.
“William has never tried to formulate a “personality” outside of his marriage (Kate has done a better job at this — as she is the one who pulls more attention.”
And William may have found this out when his try at ‘showing my youngster something by pointing, heads close together, shades of Diana move’ at rugby was reported in the papers as him scolding George rather than the nurturing parent. William is trying to photo op himself into being a statesman and wrest back Diana’s sepia toned parenting memories from Kate to have them for himself. The papers gave that a negative connotation, even when William’s facial expression was neutral, even pleasant. That must have irritated him. Harry saying in Spare that W didn’t have their mother’s looks anymore bugged him. I think he want people to remember Diana in that moment but all the press was fixated on seeing that through the lens of Louis’ acting up at other public occasions and William sticking his finger in people’s faces.
My daughter at not quite 2 yrs old had almost the exact same dress as Charlotte is wearing. Is that a Kate thing or British thing to dress older girls as toddlers? Of course Kate wants to use the kids as her excuses, of course Willy wants boarding school for them and of course WanK fight about it. I’ve no doubt they fight about nearly everything. Hopefully their children will be able to stop the dysfunctional family cycle. Growing up with SM as it is the 3 innocents will know there are other ways to live.
It’s WanK. They have been playing dress-up with their kids for the optics since day one. Dressing George in William’s old outfits, etc.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with the dress Charlotte is wearing. It’s her size and age appropriate (she just turned 8 in May) — it doesn’t scream “toddler” to me. I think it’s great when kids dress like kids. She will have the rest of her life to dress older, whether that means stuffy Victorian cosplay like her mother, or modern and chic outfits like her aunt Meghan (or something in between — like her mother doing a tragic job of cosplaying Meghan).
It’s a cute dress. Charlotte might well love wearing it. It’s also a dress that a young girl could easily have worn in the 1930’s. So, I hope Charlotte has some choice in what she wears, and I hope these cute old-fashioned dresses match her tastes, at least somewhat. I’m guessing that she has uniforms at schools (that might strike me as equally old-fashioned). We’ve seen her wear shorts in an official photo, and a cute, more modern, dress on another occasion. Perhaps the pinafore sleeves and Liberty prints are Charlotte’s choice of the options add available to her for public occasions. And, perhaps Kate needs a model for dressing her daughter— and couldn’t find one more recent than Princess Anne.
I don’t believe for one second kate doesn’t want her kids to have a “royal upbrining” with all the trappings or that she even cares for her kids day by day. Look at the way she and william dresses those kids, bleaches their hair, and photoshops their images. this modernizing their family is all a bunch of crap and they’re doing a disservice to their kids by using them as human shields to skirt their responsiblities. these kids are being raised to be insular and think they’re better than others, just like *both* there parents was.
btw, there is absolutely no way kate had this amazing childhood. i think it’s the exact opposite. she had a childhood from hell. her parents essentially acted like p*mps in their attempt to move up socially. if you need to go so hard to convince that everything in your life and family is perfect, it really isn’t.
I think she has no idea what a normal and healthy family life would look like. She was characterized as a “mummy’s girl” and while Carole and Mike were ambitious, they also made sure their children never heard the word “no”. All the vacations, all the new sporting equipment, the children were indulged at every turn and didn’t exactly kill themselves in school to be treated that way.
Carole seems to have narcissistic tendencies, with Kate being the golden child. They seem coo dependent (except Pippa), so I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere near that.
It’s not narcissistic tendencies, it’s full blown NPD. She’s a textbook case.
And uncle Gary used to take them xmas shopping at Harrods and tell them to buy anything they wanted (for themselves)
I think the ONLY reason Kate doesn’t want those kids to go to boarding school is because she uses the school run as an excuse to not work. She’s too much of a snob to not want George to go to Eton (this is part of what she’s worked for, remember) and even without Eton, the kids were always going to boarding school, like she did.
So yeah if there are “tensions” over where the kids go to boarding school my guess is its about Charlotte.
Absolutely, and the first school she went to, Downe House, is an all girls version of Eton. The one she ended up at is every bit as snobby as all the others. Merely being co-ed does not make it not snobby. There was a point in the early 2010s where Marlborough had churned out Kate, Samantha Cameron, and the wife of the leader of the opposition. And they also wear uniforms – girls are expected to wear floor length black skirts. By all accounts, William disliked *boarding* at a very young age, but *liked* Eton. Also, Kate boarded at her grammar school.
A minor disagreement here@becks1; I think she’s reserving the major showdown for Louis. He’s her baby, her golden “I need to stay home” ticket, her last chance to make excuses. Charlotte will go to school with children of the aristocracy, no matter where she goes it will be posh. She will accomplish what Kate has not; entree to that high status group of aristos. Living vicariously!
oh I think she’s definitely going to fight for Louis. Maybe to keep him home, maybe to send him to Marlborough, something. And Charlotte will go to a posh school for sure.
But one thing is clear – George was always going to Eton and Kate wants that just as much as William does.
didn’t William and Harry board before Eton? or am I misremembering?
Harry and William boarded prior to Eton at Ludgrove starting at age 8.
I have to question why this story is out now because Kate and William and George already attended Eton for a visit so the decision is made. Especially since the alleged reason for taking the test and missing Singapore is because George needs to take this test get into Eton. (Despite this not being the entrance exam and only being an assessment)
I think Kate’s plan b is to send them to a school outside of London, so her excuse for not being around is because she’s always traveling to visit the kids. But that won’t happen and George will definitely go to Eton.
But is think she has no problem with them actually being away, she just needs to used them as her excuse for not doing anything.
February pisces, that makes a lot of sense. Now she finds herself within walking distance of Eton. I wonder how angry she was when she had to move to Adelaide Cottage.
It’s a slight detail, but George needs to take these ISEB assessment tests, regardless of the private school he plans to attend when he turns 13, day school or boarding school.
Kate took these tests as did William at the time. The main difference is that now they are taken & scored by a computer.
Again, these measurement tests can be taken anytime between Oct5 and June30 & last 2hr25mn(5 sessions) . They score English & Math levels to see how a kid fares compared with his age group. They also score verbal and nonverbal reasoning skills to try to detect outstanding students.
George didn’t attend boarding school at 8/9 like his parents or Uncle Harry, but I don’t think it’s because Kate said No. I believe professionals (psychologists, teachers, counselors…) probably said he wasn’t ready. George appeared in most photos of 2/3 years ago as a very shy & insecure child, and most of these schools are tough on the kids.
I’ve seen middle class ambitious parents ‘helping with homework’. In effect they do the homework for their kids. At least at boarding school there is no input from the Middletons. I think these stories are the Midds trying and failing to be a part of George’s life and the RF realising the middle classing had gone too far. They’re being cut out.
Boarding school as practiced by the Middletons and other upwardly mobile families is not the sometimes cold sad existence of being sent states away from your family. The Middletons made midweek trips to Marlborough and lived close to the town, Pangbourne, that their children attended (and Kate boarded at towards the end of her elementary school career). They attended every sporting event, they dropped off snacks and sports equipment and washing, etc. They will still be deeply involved and have sway and influence, for better or worse. Also, I can see Pippa’s children attending the same schools as Louis.
@ Blujfly If Pippa has a son (not sure if she has one), it’s almost a given that he will end up at Eton not just because of George. Her brother in law ( Spencer) went to Eton . It’s possible her husband went there as well.
As for the story, I think it’s a deflection tactics to throw the braying public off from looking more closely at the state WanK’s marriage. I don’t see how George going to Eton would be the reason for any argument b/w his parents when both parents went to public schools.
Billy did lull Katie into an illusion of control over the kids but ultimately he is the one who calls the shots.
I hope women take note of your spouse grew up in a very traditional/conservative/religious household where the man was the head of the house and main provider who called the shots, that mentality is ingrained to some degree and it’s really hard for kids esp boys raised in that situation to not have that mindset.
Billy is really showing who is in control by hanging The Middletons out to dry, keeping Kate in that “small cottage” and deciding where George goes.
Wow, I don’t think I have ever read anything which talks so openly about tension in the Wales’ marriage. I wonder if they’ll try to refute it or bury it?
George is going to boarding school – that’s just what boys of his class are expected to do, it’s how he will cement his connections and get to know the people who will work to keep him in power. Depressing but true! It’s possible it might not be Eton they choose, but with the William connection and the easy distance to Windsor, I think it’s a good bet.
I think this is more about the media ( and possibly Charles) putting pressure on the Wales to work, to travel, to start stepping up in their roles, and WanK saying “Nah, we can’t possibly do the jobs we are paid for while our precious children are in school! We’re hands on parents, you know!”
One of the biggest revelations for me in Spare was Harry speaking about his boarding school days.
As a Canadian with zero experience of boarding school, it really opened my eyes to the confusion children must feel when strangers and non-relatives are providing love and affirmation on a daily basis vs parents. Harry was clearly confused by his teenager feelings especially during that weird bath time ritual he described.
I am not a Kate fan, but if this is actually an argument they are having, I would have to side with her. There is clearly generational trauma being passed down in English upper classes due to boarding schools and you can see the effects of it on Charles, and how he treats his sons. I went down a rabbit hole of finding articles like the below after reading Spare. Considering George’s future role in the monarchy, it would be beneficial if he was not emotionally stunted the way William and Charles clearly are. They both need therapy so badly, but only Harry has been strong enough to admit that and do something about it.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/04/abuse-britain-private-schools-personal-memoir
https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/55951/1/poor-rich-kids-the-psychological-impact-of-boarding-school-syndrome
Thank you sterling. It heartens me to see people being human and seeing others as humans. The vitriol against the royal family, Meghan annd Harry, annd the even against all the various nepo babies and all is really something to behold.
I get being jealous and asking others to “check one’s privilege.” But wider societal discourse is getting to the point there is just this assumption people can’t have problems and full lives or don’t deserve work experiences just because of privilege.
I swear it is going to drive some of these targets to suicide if it keeps up like this. I hate to see it.
I am tired of the way we all discuss anyone who differs from us at all these days. It’s all so angry and fraught
Kate attended boarding school however and by all accounts loved Marlborough. So the issue isn’t that she’s anti-boarding school in general. it just seems she’s anti-boarding school when she cant use the school run as an excuse.
They already went to visit Eton a few months ago and were spotted publicly so there is no argument at this point. This is the media trying to stir something.
Eton is also a 20 minute walk from where George currently lives so it’s not like he won’t have access to his parents. William notably had time to have lunch with the queen on a weekly basis when she was at Windsor castle and he was at Eton.
@Sterling: oof, those articles are tough. Thanks for linking them. I particularly appreciate the point made in the Dazed article about the tribal mentality the groups of boarders develop. Explains a lot.
George going to boarding school is going to have no effect on Kate’s excuses for not working. She and her siblings went to boarding school, beginning even in elementary school, and her parents went to every sports day, every day, dropped off packages and snacks mid-week, etc. If anything they will claim it is actually be an even greater burden on her time and William’s time especially if the children go to separate schools.
There is absolutely NO WAY the most famous social climber that is Kate is against sending her to one of the ultimate British social indicators that is Eton. That is SOME reach. Are these writers not British!? It’s not like Kate is some Corbynite who scoffs the ruling class….
LOLOLOL britbrit – and you’re right, the OK magazine original article is for Americans.
I think Marie Claire UK could have ended the sentence here: “Apparently, Prince William and Princess Kate have argued for a long time.”
Yes, I think so too. And it’s not just about their kids education.
TBH I’m getting the feeling that for whatever reason, William can’t wait to get the kids away from her…
Or perhaps away from Carol.
I’ve noticed the older children look much more comfortable with their father. Especially Charlotte. Things must be difficult with Kate if William is the “good parent”.
I think Kate is realizing that once the children are sent away to school, older with more autonomy -no matter of the current state of her marriage- she’s got a ticket to a one way ice floe William will have no qualms in kicking with his foot to make it travel away faster. She has been shunned by the toffs, has no friends to fall back on, her family’s money woes and fiscal dishonesty has been fodder for the papers and her children are blood royal who will become toffs themselves which proves one should be careful what you wish for. Kate was laughing it up after QEII died taking what she assumed would be her ongoing right to all the jewels she cared to wear before Camilla slapped her down. Even these online ‘Kate stans’ don’t actually care about her. Her tit for tat Meghan dressing hasn’t brought her the online support I think she’s been fishing for because royalists support William, not a married in. Kate would LOVE a supportive hashtag about her to go viral or have concerned posters fret over the state of her wasting away, or the plasters on her fingers, or her hair being noticeably unkempt during events but they all simply parrot ‘nothing to see here, never puts a foot wrong, so regal’ because should William drop Kate those posters will tut tut and say what a shame it is briefly and then move on prop up the next consort. Kate has no allies. Queen (Consort) Cam path has proved Kate’s own path to queendom is William’s to give or remove. Ma Middleton and Kate was so busy trying to make Kate the next Diana, so jealous and desperate to hold that title they helped attack and push out Meghan out of self preservation, they didn’t see succeeding won them a poison chalice. The Eton decision was made already, they made a show of bringing George to Eton already. This story being aired now seems like more ammunition for William to use against Kate so he can have his own way whether they stay married or not.
Boarding school is child abuse.
No wonder all these people are so messed up: there’s a compulsory self-perpetuating mechanism to turn out traumatized and traumatizing people at the top of the Great British Food Chain.
Does anyone know where this tradition/value came from? It looks barbaric AF and the stories of children being bullied and assaulted are heart-rending….yet they all keep doing it??
I agree completely
Boarding schools are disgusting
It’s like something from the 1900s that people are somehow still fine with doing
Sending away your children as young as 8 to live with strangers?!
And separating boys and girls doesn’t help them in the future either
I just hope the kids’ wishes are given prominence in their parents’ arguments about what kind of schooling they attend. For George’s sake, I hope it’s true he’s excited about Eton, but I hope he’ll be listened to if he changes his mind once he experiences it.
For the life of me, I will never understand outsourcing the raising of a child like the posh people do in the UK.
I could never do it. It’s counter instinctive to me.
I’m genuinely curious where this value came from. Over and over, from Diana to half of QEII’s courtiers, they tell these heartbreaking stories of the mothers and children sobbing in the car as they’re handed off to live with strangers at age 8 or 9—and yet they all do it? And now Kate’s going to do it too? The aristo class must somehow benefit from disconnecting parents and children but the human toll seems genuinely horrific
It is funny. Heartbreaking stories of moms sobbing as an 8yr old goes to boarding school and yet so many still do it. Class indoctrination idk? Many commenters here have spoken about how they loved being at boarding school. I truly cannot speak on it except to say there’s no way in the world my kid would be taken away to live somewhere else. Can’t speak for others though and admit that I struggle not to judge. But I can possibly see how it could work out for some families and some personalities. However, there are also ample stories of boarding school not going well. So I guess know your kid and know what works for them and be constantly checking in and be willing to change the plan if necessary. From what I’ve read, Charles should have been taken out of gordonstoun by his parents.
George will be 13, not 8. Kate doesn’t disagree with Eton. This is just more poor Kate the middle class sahm hands on pr that we’ve had from the beginning.
It’s not like he’ll be sent away and never come home.
I’ve had nephews /other family members go to boarding school who loved it.
The guy who played Humphrey in Death In Paradise noted that he had to quit the show because his kids were about to go to school–to get on (paraphrased) “the great British social conveyor belt”–and responsible parents don’t want their kids to miss out on something so vital to their futures. Boarding school and its feral environment are a keystone of English society still. So long as the only way to a prosperous life is through them, parents will continue to do this to their kids.
Wow, Meghan is proven right again. Kate is George’s mother, but she has NO CONTROL over her pre-teen age son being sent away to live with strangers? Are you kidding me? Does anyone believe Meghan would allow ANYONE, especially the sadists in The Firm, to make such a decision for her children? And what about Charlotte and Louis? They will both lose regular, daily contact with their big brother, a traumatic loss for such young children. And for what?
So they can train George to be a narcissistic sociopath like his father and grandfather, and keep him distant from his siblings, who will be taught that they are less than George?
Every day we learn over and over again how right Harry was to get his family out of that toxic cesspool
Roooth seriously? Kate knew when she was stalking Bill what the deal was. This article sounds like absolute bs and Kate pr. Kate shouldn’t have stalked Bill for 10 years if she wanted control over the heir to the throne’s education. And if you think she wants him to go to the local school with all the plebs I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
Eton is the local boys school when you live at Adelaide cottage. It is about a 20 minute walk from there.
People realy believe that Khate has any opinion or say where her children going to school, the only thing she can do is smile and shake hands, sha can’t even read out loud the speeches others wrote for her to say since she has zero opinion. She does not care for anything other then her title of being Bulliem’s wife. The chikdrens life is controled by the palace she can’t say no to them or they made sure people would turn againts her just like they did with Meghan
He wants to be just like his father. Poor kid. I hope his fever breaks and he wants to be a decent human being instead.
Every time I see that child in a suit and tie I’m genuinely enraged. It’s not okay (even if it’s not stiflingly hot and he’s overheard telling his parents his clothes are uncomfortable, which I think happened at Wimbledon and yet they made him keep the jacket on). It’s just so symbolic of how they prune and stifle these children so unnaturally that they grow up to be awkward, out-of-touch, checked-out manchildren (a la Charles and William).
Meghan would never have let “the institution” force her decisions about how her kids dressed or where they went to school. As always so happy they f’ing escaped this golden meat grinder
I actually really love the green dress (the whole look actually) in the pic above. The periwinkle sister wife dress though? 🤮
I’m guessing one look is pre Meghan one look is post meghan
I think a lot of these comments are coming from a place of seething hatred for Kate (including the misguided trend to never see Kate outside of the Meghan filter) and are also critical about the kids. Since when does ‘smart gossip’ tear down what kids are wearing? Or look for every possible nefarious motive behind a mom not being eager for her kids to move out at the age of 10. I have friends who grew up in UK boarding school culture, and I could never understand missing out on all of those years with my child regardless of it being normal in their society. Maybe Kate, for as many faults as she has, really does love being around her kids and is in no hurry for them to grow up.
He’s not moving out at 10. At least get the facts straight. You do realise this article isn’t real? It’s pr fanfiction. Kate has used those children as an excuse not to do what she paid millions TO do. That’s what she knew she signed up for. And that’s still only 1/4 of what most working parents do. Please with this bs.
Kate attended the meet and greet at Eton a few months ago with George and didn’t seem to have any issue then.
@Mary: very well put. Whether the prompt for the article is a PR puff piece or a genuine scoop, the responses on her are intense. Live and let live, especially with regards to kids.
A commenter on an earlier post reported that the other parents at the children’s schools had never seen Kate or William at a school run. Please, the aristocracy do not pick up their children from school.
Even QE2 called Kate Duchess Do Little.
It was Diana who insisted that W and H attend Eaton, the same as her family. She did not want the boys to be so far away, and suffer as Charles had.
There is no way George will be bullied at school. All the kids will try to befriend him. He is also very tall. He will tower over the others.
A previous commenter stated that the royal children were wards of the monarchy, not their parents.
IM no Kate fan but I love that green dress on her.
There’s a story behind that blue dress. A day or two before that occasion the family had made a surprise visit to an Air Show in Gloucestershire. It was raining and a bit breezy. Charlotte was wearing a stripey blue and white dress she had worn the previous year. She had grown several inches since then and the dress was too short and not appropriate for actively exploring the exhibits like the boys. It looked like a hurriedly arranged outing.
There was comment in the press about Charlotte’s outgrown dress and speculation about the parents living separately. Perhaps Charlotte had been at the Middletons house with her mother and the boys with their father and Nanny Maria. This next appearance showed Charlotte in the new dress which is from a Spanish label. It looks like Nanny Maria’s choice, as if William had asked her to obtain some new and properly fitting clothes for Charlotte.
As a mum to a now teenaged daughter, I know that I absolutely wouldn’t have wanted my pre teen going to boarding school. Even if the school is nearby, the child is away from home and family when they’re young.
It makes sense to me that Kate wouldn’t want her children to be sent away from home just because she loves them and wants to be with them.
Another mind numbingly boring non story! Lol