HOW MARLBOROUGH COLLEGE HELPED THE YOUNG KATE BLOSSOM IN BEAUTY AND CONFIDENCE
Her school days at Marlborough College, where she blossomed in confidence, excelled at sport and made lifelong friends, rank among the happiest times of her life and last week, the Princess of Wales took a trip down memory lane to her treasured alma mater.
Although the reason for the royal mum of three’s private visit has not been disclosed, it was said to be “the talk of the school”.
It comes at a time when Kate and her husband the Prince will have been considering options for the next stage of their elder son Prince George’s education.
Alongside his siblings Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, ten-year-old George is a pupil at Lambrook School, near the family home Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Estate in Berkshire.
He is also, his mum told students during a trip to Cardiff at the beginning of October, due to sit exams shortly.
“I’ve been helping George prepare for his exams coming up, so I know how hard maths can be,” she said.
With Prince William’s Earthshot Prize ceremony in Singapore next week coinciding with this challenging time, Kate is staying at home to support George in what are thought to be pre-tests for the Independent Schools Examination Board, which test children on what they know, understand and can achieve at senior school.
Her school yearbook said Kate was the ‘Person most likely to be loved by everybody’
TREASURED MEMORIES
There is speculation that George will follow in his father’s footsteps and attend Eton College, where William, like Kate, thrived.
The Princess will no doubt want her son to have as many fond memories of his schooldays as she has about Marlborough.
Situated on the edge of its historic namesake market town, the £42,930-per-year red-brick boarding school is a tranquil oasis in the heart of Wiltshire.
It was founded in 1843 to educate the sons of clergymen, but is now co-educational and boasts alumni including Arts and Crafts pioneer William Morris, poets Sir John Betjeman and Siegfried Sassoon, singer Chris de Burgh, designer Samantha Cameron and comedian Jack Whitehall.
It welcomed a future Queen – the young Kate Middleton – when she moved to the school after leaving Downe House in Newbury, where she allegedly experienced bullying.
