Residents of a market town in Northamptonshire, about 100 miles north of Windsor Castle, are secretly hoping for news that would change the town’s character over the coming years. Since 1556, Oundle School’s buildings—which one education guide described as having a “Jane Austen-style architecture without the accompanying floppy-haired entitlement”—have existed in a variety of configurations. They might become the future King of England’s secondary school this summer.
Prince George, a 12-year-old who is finishing his last term at Lambrook School in Berkshire, is getting close to a moment that appears normal from a distance but isn’t. After completing prep school, every child must make the move to secondary school. However, George’s transition is being followed by royal analysts, discussed in tabloids, and reportedly anticipated by a whole town in Northamptonshire, whose citizens told reporters they would be “proud as punch” if the prince showed up in September. July 4 is his last day at Lambrook. Presumably, an announcement is made later.
It was widely believed for many years that George would attend Eton College after his father. William was present. The school is conveniently located near Windsor Castle. It was a neat precedent. However, Prince William and Princess Catherine have been subtly acting in a way that raises the possibility that they are not choosing the tidy solution. They went to Marlborough College, where Catherine herself studied and earned excellent A-levels in chemistry, biology, and art. More recently, they were seen at Oundle, a coeducational boarding school that costs about £59,000 a year and has a reputation for being less elite than Eton. The Sun was informed by a source that the visit was “terribly exciting,” which is an understatement for Northamptonshire because everyone in the town took notice.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Subject | Prince George of Wales |
| Full Name | His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Wales |
| Date of Birth | July 22, 2013 |
| Current Age | 12 (turning 13 in July 2026) |
| Current School | Lambrook School, Berkshire, England |
| Final Day at Lambrook | July 4, 2026 |
| Parents | Prince William (Prince of Wales) and Princess Catherine (Princess of Wales) |
| Line of Succession | Second in line to the British throne |
| Schools Under Consideration | Eton College, Marlborough College, Oundle School, Wellington College |
| Father’s School | Eton College |
| Mother’s School | Marlborough College |
| Confirmed New School | Not yet announced |
| Expected Announcement | After July 4, 2026 |
The list of notable alumni from Oundle defies simple classification. The frontman of Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson, attended in the 1970s and probably had a different experience than what the school’s pipe band and beekeeping club imply. It also produced evolutionary biologist and ardent public intellectual Richard Dawkins. Ben and Tom Curry are brothers in rugby from England. The chairman of Timpson. These are not the names that are typically associated with education in elite institutions. Reading the school’s profile gives me the impression that Oundle occupies a particular type of English educational space: it is prestigious but not ostentatious.
Perhaps this is precisely what William and Catherine are seeking. The all-boys atmosphere, the close proximity to caricatures, and the political connotations that have grown around the school over decades of producing prime ministers and cabinet members are some of the significant drawbacks of the Eton path in 2026. A future monarch would be carrying on a custom by attending Eton. Going to Marlborough or Oundle would be a more subdued, and perhaps more intentional, statement about the kind of king they are training George to be.
Contrary to popular belief, the coeducational component is crucial. Princess Charlotte, who turns eleven this year, and Prince Louis may eventually be able to attend the same school as their brother because Oundle started accepting girls in 1990. a family choice as opposed to a boys’ school choice. That way of thinking, which is pragmatic, forward-thinking, and a little out of the ordinary, is consistent with how William and Catherine have handled other facets of their kids’ public lives.
The practical argument against Oundle is its distance from Windsor. Compared to Eton’s quick drive, it takes almost two hours by car. George would have to board, which significantly alters the character of his adolescence. It’s still unclear if the family views the distance as a disadvantage or, in some ways, as a benefit.
The decision has significance that no school brochure can adequately convey, regardless of what happens to Britain’s second-in-line to the throne. More than his education, a future monarch is shaped by the secondary school he attends. It influences the narrative that will be told about him for many years to come. It appears that William and Catherine are aware of that. The decision will make a statement whether it is made at Oundle, Marlborough, Eton, or somewhere else. The question is precisely what they want it to say.
