Prince William and Princess Kate have been spotted at a £59,000-a-year boarding school where they could send their eldest son, Prince George, this autumn. The Prince and Princess of Wales were seen walking along the High Street on Friday afternoon after reportedly visiting Oundle School in Northamptonshire.
Deciding on Secondary School
The couple are currently deciding where to send the second in line to the throne to secondary school. Co-educational Oundle School is believed to have been one of their top choices for the last few years. Prince George, 12, currently attends Lambrook School in Berkshire with his siblings, near their home at Adelaide Cottage.
Oundle School's Appeal
Oundle School, founded in 1556, is considered popular with Kate and William as they could send all three of their children there. The school charges between £22,000 for day pupils and £45,000 a year for full-time boarders. It values tradition but is also renowned for its art and music, eco-consciousness, and strong pastoral care.
Oundle School is now the third-largest boarding school in England, behind only Eton and Millfield, with about 820 boarders and 310 day pupils. It started admitting girls in 1990 and now has a 60/40 male-to-female ratio.
Pupil Life and Alumni
Pupils, known as Oundelians, can board from age 11 and have the opportunity to study subjects including Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese. Alumni include Richard Dawkins, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson, and England rugby players Tom and Ben Curry.
A source told the Sun: 'William and Kate's visit was terribly exciting. The town would be proud as punch if he attends school here. They are considering other schools but people in Oundle have their fingers crossed that George will be starting here in September.'
Other School Options
Other mooted school choices for George include Eton, where Prince William and Prince Harry studied, and Kate's former school, Marlborough College, where Pippa and James Middleton were also educated. Highgate School in north London was toured last year by the Princess of Wales, prompting speculation she and William could be considering it for George.
Highgate School, founded 460 years ago, is a co-educational day school for pupils aged 4 to 18, with annual fees for its secondary school currently at £31,575 plus obligatory lunch fees, totalling £32,640. The Princess of Wales has shared online and spoken often about her children's hobbies, including George's love of painting and watching him and Louis play rugby at weekends.
She sparked speculation that Highgate could be one of the next options after being seen visiting both Highgate and nearby University College School in Hampstead, north London. Both schools are about 30 miles from the Wales' Windsor base, potentially meaning journey times of more than an hour each way. Highgate School has been hailed for its 'world-class' drama department and has been the choice of school for children of famous actors such as Dame Emma Thompson, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jude Law.
