Why George looks set to go to his mum’s old school

After the Waleses are spotted visiting £47,000-a-year Marlborough College for the second time in two months...

IT HAS an illustrious reputation for schooling the elite – including Princes William and Harry – but Eton College may not be able to count Prince George among its future pupils.

Speculation is growing that the second in line to the throne will, instead, follow in his mother’s footsteps, and be educated at Marlborough College in Wiltshire.

The Princess of Wales has recently toured the £47,000a-year co-educational school for the second time in as many months – this time accompanied by her husband and ten-year-old George.

Kate is said to not be a fan of single-sex schools like Eton, and reportedly ‘absolutely hated’ her time at Downe House, an all-girls boarding school in Berkshire, where she was allegedly targeted by bullies.

However she flourished at Marlborough, where she excelled academically and performed well at sports, including hockey and tennis.

Although it is understood that no firm decision has yet been made about what school George will attend, the Princess took him and William to her alma mater on December 1, having previously visited alone in October.

They also all toured Eton back in June. The college, which is a stone’s throw from Windsor Castle, provided a haven for William and Harry, who boarded there during the most turbulent years of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage.

But while William found solace there after his mother’s death, Harry lamented in his memoir Spare that it was not the right choice for him.

George is currently at co-educational prep school, Lambrook, along with his sister Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old brother Prince Louis. Close to the home of their Middleton grandparents, it educates pupils up to the age of 13, meaning George will have to move on in 2026.

But if he continues at a mixed-sex school like Marlborough, he could later be joined by his siblings. The Princess of Wales was similarly educated alongside her younger sister, Pippa, and brother James.

Founded in 1843, Marlborough’s former pupils also include Princess Eugenie, Lady (Samantha) Cameron and comedian Jack Whitehall.

Prince George started at Lambrook last year and is currently in Year 6. He has recently been sitting exams that could influence his future education.

In October, Kate revealed that she had been helping him prepare, telling pupils at a secondary school in Cardiff: ‘George is just at the beginning of being tested. He says, “Mummy, I keep getting tested all the time.”’

Last month, the Princess missed Prince William’s Earthshot Prize ceremony in Singapore to further support George during his exams.

On the same day as the visit to Marlborough College, the trio enjoyed a low-key lunch at Tray’s Cafe at nearby Barrs Yard in Hungerford with their security detail hovering nearby. A member of staff at the cafe, a 15minute drive from the school, told The Mail on Sunday that the Waleses were ‘utterly delightful’ and ‘couldn’t have been nicer’.

Both Eton and Marlborough have similar application processes involving assessments and interviews that begin when pupils are George’s age.

Kensington Palace declined to comment last night.