From ‘a prison sentence’ and ice cold showers to a school providing cuddly rabbits and wellbeing walks, where the royals were educated

While children from aristocratic backgrounds are expected to attend the world’s most prestigious schools, their experiences may not be as seamless as expected.

This was illustrated by Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, in his newly released memoir, which details his chilling account of Maidwell Hall in the 1970s.

The book, entitled A Very Private School, exposes how Charles, as an 11-year-old student at the boarding school in Northamptonshire, became the target of a female assistant matron.

The 59-year-old described how the ‘voracious paedophile’ preyed on him and other young boys, grooming and abusing them in secret.

Some students may recall positive stories from the prep school, but Charles’ harrowing account raises concerns about sending children to boarding school at a young age. 

In light of this news, we reflect on the schooling that other members of the Royal Family underwent in their early years and explore how these experiences shaped their adult lives.  

King Charles

King Charles, who was the first British monarch to be educated outside of the home, joined Hill House School in Knightsbridge, London, at the age of six. 

The boys-only, pre-preparatory school was founded by British Army officer Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Townend in 1951.

However, Charles only attended for nine months, from November 1956 to the summer of 1957.

That September, he was moved to Cheam School, his father Prince Phillip’s old prep school, in Headley, Hampshire – he was eight years old. 

Cheam Preparatory School is the oldest of its kind in the country, having opened its doors in 1645.

There was uncertainty about whether Charles should attend the world-famous Eton College in Berkshire or Gordonstoun in Moray, Scotland, once he reached the age of 13.

The Queen Mother questioned the diverse religious ethos of Gordonstoun, which was founded by an experimental German-Jewish educator, and suggested that her grandson went to Eton.

In a handwritten letter from 1961, she penned: ‘It’s always a tricky one with the heir to the throne’, but going to Eton ‘would solve many difficulties, one being religion’.

However, Prince Phillip was adamant that Charles attended Gordonstoun, located in the Scottish Highlands, where he had been a founder pupil.

The Queen Mother’s warning proved to be prescient as Charles likened his years at the school, which now charges boarders more than £33,000 a year, to a ‘prison sentence’ and called it ‘Colditz in kilts’.

The school’s tough regime kicked off at 7.20am, with a 45-yard jog up the road, followed by both hot and cold showers – missing the latter was considered ‘illegal’.

Charles is said to have disliked his early years so much that he cried himself to sleep for several nights. He was also bullied by fellow pupils, notably on the rugby field, where they would push him into the mud and once broke his nose during a particularly rough game.

The heir was also unimpressed by the other boys’ hygiene, writing home in 1963: ‘The people in my dormitory are foul. Goodness, they are horrid. I don’t know how anybody could be so foul.’

In his later years, Charles became the head boy, as voted by his peers.

He played the lead in Macbeth, watched by both his parents. 

Shomie Das, a former personal tutor and physics teacher, told The Mail on Sunday that Charles developed his lifelong love of Shakespeare at Gordonstoun.

‘He was one of the best schoolboy Macbeths I’ve ever seen, he was so good at acting,’ Das recalled.

Charles earned five O-Levels in English Literature, English Language, French, Latin and History, followed by A-Levels in French and History.

He attended Trinity College, part of the University of Cambridge, from 1967 to 1970, where he studied archaeology and anthropology for one year and history for two years.

King Charles graduated with a 2:2 Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, becoming the first British heir apparent to hold a university degree.

Queen Camilla

Queen Camilla was first educated at Dumbrells School, a co-educational located in Sussex, near her family home in the village Plumpton.

She moved to South Kensington with her parents and two siblings at the age of 10, where she started attending the local Queen’s Gate School, which strived to ‘provide wives for the Foreign Office and most of the nobility’.

Pupils were given lessons on flower arranging, cookery and writing cheques. Camilla left school with one O-Level, although it is unclear which subject this was in.

The Queen is said to have been popular and outgoing – some former students remember her climbing onto the roof for cigarettes.

At the age of 16, she moved to the finishing school Mon Fertile in Switzerland followed by Institut Britannique in Paris, France. 

At the former, Camilla is said to have lost weight and learned how to kiss boys, a pastime she described as ‘quite deliciously wonderful’.

Six months later, the royal returned to London, where she worked part-time as a secretary and attended a host of high-profile social events, including the annual Hunt Ball as a debutante. 

Princess Anne

Princess Anne was educated at Buckingham Palace until 1963, when she joined Benenden School in Kent.

Being the first British female royal to attend school, Anne successfully completed six O-Levels and three A-Levels in English, History and Politics. 

The Princess Royal also showed a keen interest in horsemanship and reached the highest level of equestrian competition. 

In 1971, she won the European three-day Horse Trial Championships at Burghley, riding her eight-year-old gelding, named Doublet. 

Anne began undertaking public work at the age of 18 – her first engagement was the opening of an education and training centre in Shropshire in 1969.  

Princess Diana

Diana, Princess of Wales enrolled in Silfield School, Norfolk, when she was six years old. 

The private day school, which has since closed, accommodated a total of 40 girls and boys, including Diana’s brother Charles.

Two years later, she moved to all-girls boarding school Riddlesworth Hall, set in the Norfolk countryside.

In 1973, Diana joined her sisters and cousin Diana Macfarlane at West Heath Girls’ School in Sevenoaks, Kent.

Diana’s cousin revealed that the Princess would have photographs of Prince Charles beside her bed in the West Heath dormitory.

The royal’s academic performance was not strong and she failed her O-Levels twice.

However, she excelled at ballet, tap dance and music, and was an accomplished pianist.

Additionally, Diana won the school award for The Girl Giving maximum Help to the School and her Schoolfellows.

In 1977, Diana moved to the finishing school Institut Alpin Videmanette in Rougemont, Switzerland, where lessons included skiing, cooking, dressmaking and French.

She returned to London the following year, settling at a flat in Coleherne Court on Old Brompton Road in the district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

The Princess worked as a private nanny and nursery teacher at the Young England School in Pimlico.

Prince William

Prince William began his education at Mrs Mynors Nursery School in London, before joining Wetherby Pre-Prep School in 1987.

The eight-year-old Prince enrolled at Ludgrove School, in Berkshire, which offered fortnightly boarding for boys.

The headmaster is said to have made it his mission to protect Prince William and Prince Harry from tabloid gossip while they were on campus. 

Princess Diana chose Ludgrove to ensure her children had a relatively normal experience. She also thought that William would benefit from relating to average people – the future King even shared a bedroom with four other boys.

Prince William started Eton College in 1995, where he pursued his GCSEs and A Levels in Biology, Geography and History of Art.

Being the first senior royal to enroll in the school, he was appointed as a House Captain of Games, House Captain and Prefect.

Similar to many of his peers, William took a gap year to travel and gain new experiences before beginning his university course. These included ‘preparation for survival’ exercises with the Welsh Guards in Belize, working as a volunteer with Raleigh International in Chile, working on a dairy farm in the UK and visiting countries in Africa.

The Prince commenced his four-year Master of Arts degree course in History of Art at St Andrews University in Scotland. However, after two years, he switched to Geography.

William’s final dissertation examined the coral reefs of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean. Additionally, he visited Norway on a field trip to witness the Jostedalen ice cap, which is the largest in mainland Europe.

During this time, the royal enjoyed a range of hobbies, such as water polo, and was subsequently selected to represent the Scottish national universities team in the annual Celtic Nations tournament against Wales and Ireland.

His Royal Highness graduated in 2005 with a 2:1 Master of Arts (Honours) in Geography and his ceremony was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Charles and Camilla. 

Soon afterwards, William joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an Officer Cadet. 

The royal embarked on a 44-week training course, after which he was commissioned as an Army Officer in 2006, joining the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) as a Second Lieutenant. A year later, he was promoted to rank of Lieutenant. 

Opting for a career in the military aviation, William began training as a Search and Rescue pilot in 2009, assuming the title of Flight Lieutenant Wales. 

William spent three years in this role, during which time he handled 156 search and rescue operations and qualified as an operational Captain.

Following his operational duties with the Armed Forces, William retrained to become an Air Ambulance Pilot, working for East Anglian Air Ambulance from 2015 until 2017.

He collaborated with specialist doctors and critical care paramedics, piloting 999 emergency response teams to patients across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

‘It has been a huge privilege to fly with the East Anglian Air Ambulance,’ William said in a statement.

‘I have loved being part of a team of professional, talented people that save lives every day. My admiration for our country’s medical and emergency services community could not be any stronger.’ 

Prince Harry 

Prince Harry followed in his older brother’s footsteps when it came to his early years education, attending Wetherby School and Ludgrove School, followed by Eton.

Located in Berkshire, Eton’s expansive 400-acre campus has enjoyed royal endorsement since its founding by King Henry VI in 1440. 

‘The finest school in the world for boys, Eton was meant to be a shock, I think,’ Harry penned in his memoir, Spare.

‘Shock must’ve been part of its original charter, even perhaps a part of the instructions given to its first architects by the school’s founder, my ancestor Henry VI.

‘He deemed Eton some sort of holy shrine, a sacred temple, and to that end he wanted it to overwhelm the senses, so visitors would feel like meek, abased pilgrims. 

‘In my case, mission accomplished.’

After leaving Eton in 2003, Harry visited Argentina and Africa. He also gained experience working on a cattle station in Australia and volunteering in an orphanage in Lesotho. 

In contrast to William, Harry made he decision to forgo university and instead enrolled at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2005.

It was rumoured that the Prince regretted this decision, but in his memoir Spare, he insisted: ‘I never once regretted my decision to skip university.’

Prince Harry was commissioned an officer in 2006 and served in the British Army for a decade. During his tenure, the Prince rose to the rank of Captain and completed two tours of Afghanistan.

Kate Middleton 

Kate Middleton was born in Reading, but at the age of two, she moved to Amman, Jordan, for her father to pursue work opportunities.

She attended a nursery school for one year, from the age of three, before the Middletons returned to their home in West Berkshire. 

The success of their venture allowed Carole and Michael to send Kate to St Andrew’s prep school in Pangbourne, where she remained until 1995.

At the age of 13, Kate briefly attended Downe House, an independent boarding school in Newbury. However, halfway through the school term in 1996, she was transferred to Marlborough College due to instances of bullying and taunting from other students.

Her fellow dormmate at Marlborough, Gemma Williamson, previously told the Daily Mail: ‘Apparently she had been bullied very badly and she certainly looked thin and pale. She had very little confidence.’ 

It was at the mixed boarding school, in Wiltshire, that the reserved teenager underwent a transformation, becoming a self-assured, sporty young woman, who captained the school field hockey team.

Kate excelled in both athletics and academics, obtaining 11 GCSEs and three A Levels in Chemistry, Biology and Art.

After completing her studies, the Princess of Wales assumed a gap year. She studied at the British Institute in Florence, undertook a Raleigh International programme in Chile, and crewed on Round the World Challenge boats in the Solent.

In 2001, Kate enrolled at the University of St Andrews to study art history, while working part-time as a waitress. 

She was allocated the same dorm building as Prince William, and the pair established a strong friendship. In their second year, they chose to live together with a group of friends.

Kate continued her interest in sport and played hockey for the university team. She graduated in 2005 with a 2:1 in History of Art. 

The Princess worked as an accessories buyer for high street brand Jigsaw, and later assumed various roles at her parents’ party supplies company, Party Pieces.

Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle attended Hollywood Schoolhouse while growing up in Los Angeles. 

The independent school states on its website that it is ‘known for a blended program of progressive and traditional instruction as well as a strong community that supports students throughout their entire journey in primary education’.

In 1993 at the age of 12, Meghan joined Immaculate Heart, a private Catholic day school for girls, where she stayed until the age of 17. The school also counts supermodel-turned-host Tyra Banks among its alumni.

The Duchess has previously detailed how challenging she found life at Immaculate Heart. ‘I never had anyone to sit with at lunch. I was always a little bit of a loner and really shy and didn’t know where I fit in,’ she said.

For ten years, Meghan would join her father, Thomas, on the set of the sitcom Married… with Children after school, where he was the director of lighting and photography.

The Duchess enrolled at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and graduated with a double major in theatre and international studies in 2003.

Initially, Meghan had intended to focus solely on studying theatre, but she altered her major after realising her interest in politics. 

Nevertheless, Meghan encountered difficulties in financing her studies. Her father took out loans to assist in paying tuition fees and her mother also made contributions.

At the age of 20, the royal carried out an internship at the US embassy in Argentina, facilitated by her uncle Michael Markle, a retired diplomat.

After graduating, Meghan returned to Los Angeles to embark on an acting career. 

She worked as a ‘briefcase model’ on Deal or No Deal, and landed guest appearances in several TV shows, such as 90210 and CSI: Miami. Additionally, she supplemented her income by working as a freelance calligrapher. 

Princess Beatrice

Princess Beatrice began her early education at Upton House School, Windsor, in 1991, before she and Princess Eugenie attended the independent Coworth Park School, in Surrey, from 1995.

The sisters were expected to continue their studies oversees at Aiglon College, a top private school in Switzerland. However, this decision was abandoned after reports surfaced of an attack on two students within the facility.

Instead, Princess Beatrice went on to study at St George’s, an all-girls boarding school in Ascot.

A few years later, it was revealed that Princess Beatrice had been diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of seven.

Consequently, she took her GCSEs a year later than her peers, but passed with flying colours: A* grades for history and drama, A grades for French and art and B grades for her remaining subjects. 

Beatrice was elected to be head girl during her final year at school. 

Today, the royal credits her ‘amazing teachers’, who gave her extra tuition to improve her reading and writing skills.

Appearing in an episode of the Made by Dyslexia podcast, Beatrice recalled a memory from childhood: ‘We had different colored books to describe how far where your reading levels had got to and I was always on the white books.

‘My best friends were always on the yellow books or the green books. They were so far ahead.’

She said the experience led her to ‘doubt’ herself, adding: ‘I think if I were to say to my younger self do not be defined by those moments that happened to you in that exam or that classroom because they are lifelong learnings.

‘They are lessons that you carry with you, and they build you up to be who you are.’

Princess Beatrice continued her higher education at Goldsmiths College, in London, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in history.

She was employed at the Foreign Office and Sony Pictures, before taking on the role of Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at software company, Afiniti.

Princess Eugenie

Princess Eugenie began her schooling at Winkfield Montessori nursery in 1992.

The Montessori method of education focuses on children’s organic interests, rather than using formal teaching techniques. Princess Diana also insisted her sons were taught using this approach. 

Eugenie joined her sister at Upton House School, Coworth Park School and St George’s School, where she stayed until 2003. 

Similar to Kate Middleton, the royal attended Marlborough College, in Wiltshire, as a boarder for five years.

Eugenie excelled academically, scoring two A*s, four As and three Bs in her GCSEs. She is said to have the best grades among the current British royals. 

The Princess enrolled at Newcastle University and graduated with a 2:1 in English Literature and History of Art in 2012.

‘I’ve loved art since I was very little,’ she previously told Harper’s Bazaar.

‘I knew I definitely wouldn’t be a painter, but I knew this was the industry for me. I love being able to share my passion for art with people.

‘If someone doesn’t understand something, you have the ability to suggest, “Maybe you can look at it this way,” that’s what I find most thrilling about working in a gallery.’ 

Eugenie first worked as a specialist at online auction house Paddle8 in New York, then later became the associate director at contemporary art gallery, Hauser & Wirth. 

Prince George 

Prince George attended Westacre Montessori School Nursery in 2016. It is located in close proximity to the Prince and Princess of Wales’ home of Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

At the age of four, George moved to Thomas’s Battersea in September 2017, confounding expectation that he would follow in his father’s footsteps at Wetherby. 

As a result, the family relocated to Kensington Palace, although Amner Hall continues to be their private country home.

At that time, headmaster Ben Thomas said he was ‘honoured’ to welcome the Prince to his school. 

The website reads: ‘Thomas’s Battersea is a busy, thriving, purposeful school, educating 540 boys and girls between the ages of four and 13.

‘As you would expect of any Thomas’s school, the most important school rule is to Be Kind’.

Following the family’s move to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, last August, George and his siblings enrolled at Lambrook School in Berkshire.

Lambrook educates boys and girls, ranging from ages three to 13, and boasts a nine-hole golf course, set within 52 acres of private land.

There is also a 25-metre swimming pool and an orchard that is home to pigs, chickens and rabbits, which are available to cuddle during wellbeing walks.

Meanwhile, on-site bee hives to encourage students to learn more about the surrounding natural landscape. 

While Prince George’s secondary school has not yet been confirmed, it is thought he will attend Eton or Malborough College.

Princess Charlotte

During her early years, Princess Charlotte attended the private Willcocks Nursery School in Kensington, which is located near Kensington Palace. 

Following in her brother’s footsteps, Charlotte studied at Thomas’s Battersea before moving to Lambrook School in 2017. 

The exclusive Christian school is only a 10-minute drive from the family’s current residence of Adelaide Cottage.

Prince Louis 

The youngest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Louis, commenced his education during the same week as his third birthday in April 2021.

Unsurprisingly, he also attended Willcocks Nursery School and Lambrook. 

In September 2022, William and Kate accompanied Louis, along with George and Charlotte, for a ‘settling in afternoon’ ahead of the new school term.

It is estimated that the fees are totalling over £50,000 per year for the couple’s three children.