Prince William and Princess Kate may be ‘taking advice from friends’ on future schools for George, Charlotte and Louis

Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of The Good Schools Guide, is the latest guest on HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast this week

he Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be carefully considering their options when it comes to choosing future schools for their children, and may be leaning on trusted friends for guidance.

In the latest episode of HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast, Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of The Good Schools Guide, claims the royal couple are likely drawing on their close social circle, particularly those with older children, as they weigh up the best options for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

“I would expect that they are taking advice from friends who may have older children,” she shared.

“William and Catherine have been through that system themselves, William at Eton and Catherine at Marlborough College. So they will be, obviously, very well-networked into a friendship group where their friends may have older children at these schools, and they will be able to make recommendations.”

Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, ten, and Prince Louis, seven, are all pupils at the same school, Lambrook.

Prince William and Kate, who both experienced the British boarding school system first-hand – William at Eton College and Kate at Marlborough College – are now focusing on George, who is in his final year of prep school.

“I think we know that there are people who are close to the royal family in all of these schools,” added Melanie. “And of course, many of them have been to them as well. I would expect that they have a short list that they have always had in mind, and then they go to visit those schools to see what the reality is on the ground and they get a sense, because you have to go on your gut feeling about these things.”

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Melanie also highlighted what this reveals about William and Kate’s approach to parenting, saying: “The other thing I think is interesting, and speaks to how they want to raise the children, is that I think they want them to have options. “I don’t think they want their children to feel there’s just a predestined route. Obviously, there is to an extent, but I think they want them to feel that they have agency as well and they want to hear their opinions too.”