Prince George is growing into 'every inch a very handsome young man', steadily confirming Prince Harry's longstanding fears that he will one day be eclipsed by his brother's children, royal biographer Andrew Morton has told the Daily Mail's Palace Confidential.
Royal expert weighs in on school choice
Morton, writer of the landmark 1992 biography Diana: Her True Story, suggested that fevered interest in George's schooling is a sign of things to come, with William's children in the ascendancy and Harry's star quietly waning. Speaking to Editor-at-Large Richard Kay, Morton also weighed in on where he believes the Wales family will send the young prince for secondary school.
While not discounting family favourite Eton, the royal biographer said co-educational Oundle in Northamptonshire would 'fit the bill', as it would allow Princess Charlotte to one day follow her brother through its doors.
Harry's fears materialising
'The issue that always concerned Prince Harry, that he would be overshadowed by his brother's children, is coming true', Morton said. 'George is looking every inch a very handsome young man, and the big debate is now: where are they going to send him to school?'
'My guess is Oundle. They have already been there to have a look round. Maybe that's going to be the school for Charlotte too. They could decide to send all three of them to the same school, and a mixed private school would fit the bill.'
Potential challenges of co-education
While agreeing that the £59,000 a year school could work for the future King, Kay raised an 'area of difficulty' that may come with sending George to a mixed secondary school. Oundle has never had a royal pupil, although it has held a Royal Charter since 1930. If George were to attend, he would be the first male heir to the British throne to attend a co-educational secondary school.
Kay argued: 'An all boys school avoids those awkward opportunities for someone to get a photograph of him perhaps having his first snog with a girl and the explosion of interest that would create. The other thing to remember is that the Waleses live literally on top of Eton College. It was also where William went to school. He had very happy school days there.'
William's modern approach
Morton responded that while Eton is likely still in the running, William has long cast himself as a modern, progressive royal who does things differently and co-educational Oundle may hold a special appeal for a future King with one eye on a changing monarchy.
'Eton is obviously very much in the running', the royal biographer said. 'But one of the things you notice about William is that he doesn't exactly follow the structure of the Royal Family and those traditions. He might just go for somewhere very different from how he was educated.'
Listen to Richard Kay's full interview with Andrew Morton by subscribing to Palace Confidential on YouTube.
