Royal Children - Time for State school?

You can’t just single out the current members of the royal family for taking advantage of inherited wealth. Where would the cut off be for tracking back inherited privilege and whether someone’s inheritance was worthy or not?

The current Duke of Westminster controls billions of pounds because one of his ancestors was a friend and supporter of William the Conqueror. That’s where the source of the money comes from followed by some very good business decisions, and some wily tax maneuvering.

The ancestor who was given the original land and riches and title from William the Conqueror worked very hard for that money - he risked his life and all his family’s security fighting to secure part of the country - he could have been killed or defeated. He could have helped cause the defeat of William - in those circumstances someone else’s family line would be holding all those assets now.

OP, I do understand your impulse here (and I am a private school parent). There is something about being at one with the people of the country you will govern. HOWEVER, couple of important reasons to that it’s a total non starter

1. The ‘saving’ of their school fees and that money going towards security is a totally red herring. Even one of the most expensive boarding schools in the country, with all the added extras would still be approx 50k per year. That, when you take into account employer NI contributions etc is barely the cost of employing a single security officer. Proper security is painfully expensive, which is why Harry is battling in the courts.

2. (closely related) a significant number of Private Boarding schools in particular will have significant advantages which will seriously reduce the security bill in comparison to an average comp. Rural location, high spec alarm systems, cctv, perimeter fencing, more ground staff etc. Crucially many will already be providing high level security for other high risk children (children of people like the Beckhams, overseas super rich and dignitaries) so the actual ‘uplift’ for the royals is much less.

3. The leverage private schools have to enforce respect of privacy is much higher. This is nothing to do remotely with private school kids being ‘nicer’ (many are little shits!) but more that a private school can decide to exclude children on their terms. I imagine parents and children at these schools are made very aware of the consequences of talking to the press/ sharing images of social media and this will be a significant deterrent. State schools simply cannot legally do this.

4. That if you did say ‘state school it is!’ then they would end up somewhere which is ‘technically’ a state school but in practice nothing like what the vast majority of the country experiences. One of the state Grammar boarding schools for example, the Oratory school, Christ’s Hospital…this is the trick employed by many prominent politicians and tbh I find it more cynical than just paying the fees.

That's what you get from that? 🤣

What's a state school name for you then? My state school class has a George, William, Harry, Kate, Elizabeth, Edward and a Charles!

I’m a teacher and I think it would be a fucking nightmare. State schools just aren’t set up for this and it wouldn’t be fair on the kids. Things would have to be so different to keep them safe; they’d have a very isolating experience.

No I CBA to campaign about it.

It is surprising that nobody in the royal household has yet considered "state until 8" and easy PR win, though. Given they can easily buy into any catchment area anywhere.

I don’t think anyone, including the state, should be telling somehow how to educate their children.

That is a parental decision.

I support more educational choices, not less.

They should send their children to any school they choose! I am not interested in what thoughts a non English person has on the subject @microplastic .

The point is that much of their income is taxpayers money

They really aren't going to want attention on how they became "independently wealthy".

Ffs PRIVATE SCHOOL

TARQUIN. IDK what influence my autocorrect is under.

It’s not taxpayer funded so it is nobody’s business but theirs.

And it's not even free taxpayers still pay for the "free schools" anyway so this is a pointless hill to die on imagine the conversation

Your children can no longer attend public school
Fine we will home educate as is our right (and everyone else's)

What then? Erm no we don't want you privately educating your own children either... hmmm OK change the law for everyone then that should save loads of money 🤣

Tarquinius is your idea of a typical state school pupil's name, is it?

Because at the end of the day, Will and Kate do a job. Their job represents the state, hence paid by the state. I’m a working class socialist through and through but their kids having private education is the last thing I care about to be honest.

Paul McCartneys children went to state school when he was even more famous than now.
And given the low educational attainment of most members of the Royal family, it makes me laugh the argument that they need to be better educated than the average state school can provide.

Not all of us. I love the royal family, unfortunately there are a lot of people who are ignorant and see ritch ppl and don’t see the good they do etc.

Regardless of their status there family can afford to privately educate them let them carry on

God lord can you imagine the mumsnet thread over that!

AIBU Prince George is in my son's class and his security trampled my little Tarquin and he says the teachers let him do whatever he wants!

AIBU Princess Charlotte is in my DDs class and all the boys fancy her, even DDs boyfriend has said he'd leave DD for her!

And can you imagine the parents at pick up, the fawning or telling them how to do their jobs!

Get a grip!

No. Terrible idea!

It is a democracy.

More children, more children willing to take a pot shot at a Royal child for likes on SM. It would be hell for everyone.

As some posters have identified, there's also the small matter of their parents' rights. Normally education is a matter for parents not the state (albeit most parents choose to discharge their responsibility to educate their children appropriately through state-funded schools).

The state doesn't "own" the Royal children. Some of us might disagree with some of the parenting choices that William and Kate have made, but I think it's a real stretch to say that they are unfit parents who should have the rights that normal parents have, including choosing how to educate their children, taken away from them.

As they're independently wealthy, your suggestion is never going to happen.

No. Like all children, they should go to the schools that their parents choose and are the best available to them.
They also need to go somewhere that's secure, and will give them the social skills that they're going to need.
And of course the taxpayer doesn't pay - their parents do (and the taxpayer doesn't pay for their parents either!).

This nasty, jealous, juvenile narrative about the royals is just weird, tbh.