Prince George and Princess Charlotte will reportedly ‘attend boarding school together’ after ‘heated debates’ between Prince William, Kate Middleton and King Charles III over the children's future

The siblings are set to join Kate Middleton's former boarding school

Prince George and Princess Charlotte
(Image credit: Getty)

A royal source has revealed that, while there has been much speculation over Prince George enrolling at Eton College, ‘heated debates’ between Prince William, Kate Middleton and King Charles III have come to the conclusion that he and his sister Princess Charlotte will reportedly ‘attend boarding school together’ to avoid splitting up the family. 

Prince George has a lot on his plate at the moment. As well as the constant pressure he faces from sitting second in the royal line of succession, being his father's heir, and having his royal future to come to terms with, he's currently sitting some very important exams at school that will determine his future in education. 

The Independent Schools Examination Board Pre-Test is just as scary as it sounds. The 10-year-old will be tested on an array of subjects and passing is imperative if he wishes to get into an elite school ahead of his 13th birthday, which is the age that most boarding schools will take on pupils. 

It was speculated by many royal experts and commentators that this test was a precursor for George to take the Common Entrance exam, a test that would allow him to attend the prestigious boarding school that both his father Prince William and uncle Prince Harry attended, Eton College. But now it seems that Eton is off the table and George's future is looking very different than many first thought. 

Princess Charlotte accompanied by her father, Britain's Prince William, her mother, Catherine, and brother, Britain's Prince George, arrives for her first day of school

(Image credit: Photo by AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

That's because, according to a royal insider, his mum Kate Middleton, who never wanted George to go to boarding school at all, has put her foot down and 'heated debates' with William and King Charles have ushered in a compromise. 

“After years of discussion and heated debates between William, Kate and King Charles III, the family have made a choice,” a royal source revealed to Life & Style. "They’ve decided that he and sister Charlotte will attend boarding school together. 

"While the royal family expected that George would follow in William’s footsteps, Kate got the final say. They’ll both be students at Marlborough. This way, George and Charlotte will have a few years where they’ll overlap at the same school."

Marlborough College is Kate's alma mater, the boarding school she attended throughout her teen years, and  she has often praised the institution for giving her both a great education and a series of wonderful memories. 

The source added, "Kate has fond memories of her time there and feels it’s a better fit for her children.”

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte

(Image credit: Andrew Matthews-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The boarding school debate has been an unavoidable one for the family. Kate has long wished and worked hard for her children to have as normal an upbringing as possible, but she has always known that boarding school would one day separate the family and make their prestigious futures within The Firm unavoidable. 

"Kate’s always wanted them to have more of a normal upbringing than William did,” explained the source. "She knows full well that in a few short years, George’s life is going to drastically change.” But until then, according to the source, Kate 'thinks he shouldn’t be torn away from his family.'

Marlborough College is a good compromise for the family. As well as Princess Charlotte being able to attend only a few years after George so he has someone by his side, the institution is only about an hour away from the Wales' home of Adelaide Cottage. “It’s not terribly far from home,” confirms the source, “and Kate will be able to easily visit her kids.”

Read more about education; 15 most expensive private schools in the UK, and the famous names that attended them, 10 things I wish I'd known before my child started school (ignore #8 at your peril), When to apply for secondary school 2024, and the 4 important dates you need to know.

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse
Royal News and Entertainment writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is royal news and entertainment writer for Goodto.com. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.