As Royals, Prince George & Princess Charlotte Use Different Names While Attending School

Fans of the royal family seem to know a great deal about their lives, but does that include the family’s education? There is a long and varied history of tutors and colleges that have contributed to the education of the royal family over the years. Dating back hundreds of years, children in the royal family have received private lessons from tutors but did not begin attending both public and private schools until fairly recently.

The late Queen Elizabeth II was the last royal to receive an education through a private tutor, rather than attending formal schooling. Her son, King Charles III, was the first heir to the throne to earn a degree from a university. From age 13 he attended the Scottish public school Gordonstoun, where he became the first heir to the throne to take public examinations. The king later graduated from Trinity College in Cambridge.

William, Prince of Wales followed in his father’s footsteps by attending traditional schools instead of relying on private tutors. He attended Eton College where he received A-levels in geography, biology and history of art. William then took a gap year before attending the University of St. Andrews. Prince Harry also attended Eton but chose not to go to university.

Now, the Prince and Princess of Wales’ children are early in their schooling and it is an exciting time in their busy, young lives. Prince George and Princess Charlotte used to attend the school Thomas’s Battersea together, but since September 2022, they have begun at Lambrook School in Windsor. Meanwhile, Prince Louis is still in preschool. Keep reading to find out more about the education of the royal family.

Professor Kate Williams is the author of the book “Young Elizabeth” and she shared some fascinating insight into Queen Elizabeth’s educational history. According to Good Housekeeping Williams said, “The Queen’s father had disliked school and her mother thought it was more important to have fun.”

The professor added: “Unlike her father, the Queen was and is very bright and had an appetite for learning as well as a razor-sharp memory. The lack of formal education didn’t harm her as she’s naturally analytical and something of an autodidact, as well as being hard-working — which we know now is just as important as raw brain power.”

When she was young, Elizabeth would meet with a tutor from 9:30 until 11 in the morning. This was when she received her lessons, and then afterward her time was devoted to outdoor activities, dancing and singing. She also had an hour-and-a-half break in the middle of her day to rest.

The queen loved horses and this was something that began when she was still a child. Horse riding and taking care of the animals were said to be one of her favorite leisure activities. As an adult, the queen began breeding thoroughbreds for horse racing.

When her uncle Edward VIII abdicated and it became known that she would be queen one day, Elizabeth began receiving private lessons from the vice provost of Eton, Henry Marten. Other than this, it is said that she received no other formal education. However, her children did attend school, starting with King Charles III following in his father’s footsteps at Gordonstoun.

Now that Prince George and Princess Charlotte are old enough to attend school, they were previously enrolled at Thomas’s Battersea, where they attended together. “(Charlotte) can’t wait to be with George at big school. She is so excited about it all,” an insider shared with People in 2019. “They are close in age, and they spend so much time together. Playdates (with outsiders) can be tricky, so they learn to lean on each other.”

According to People, Thomas’s Battersea is described as: “a big, busy, slightly chaotic school for cosmopolitan parents who want their children to have the best English education money can buy. That is what they want and, to a large degree, that is what they get.” The tuition is said to be $23,000 a year.

However, after the Wales family announced their move to Windsor in the summer of 2022, George and Charlotte transferred to Lambrook School, which is one of the country’s leading prep schools. What’s unique is that the kids will have to attend school not just Monday through Friday, but Saturday as well. The school features a diverse curriculum of activities and there are even school trips to other countries.

Prior to the family’s move, Prince Louis attended the same preschool that Charlotte went to, called Willcocks Nursery School. The boy started when he was 3-years-old, and although it’s unclear what his new school in Windsor will be, it’s likely he will eventually attend Lambrook when he is of age.

All of the children are known by the last name of Wales, because of their father’s title. So, at school, they are called George Wales, Charlotte Wales and Louis Wales. When they were in school and in the military, William and Harry used Wales as their last name, since their father was formerly the Prince of Wales. Another surname the royal family uses is Mountbatten-Windsor.