George’s education costs

Realistically, the Prince and Princess of Wales will have been given a shortlist (a very short one) of the schools which can manage their security requirements. The schools my children attend / have attended would not have been able to accommodate them. In fact, I would have been put off by hearing that the royal children would also be there.

The taxpayer doesn’t own Prince George - his parents can choose any school they want (and that he can get into). They have such a weird life, it will be good for the children to go to a school where they have some privacy.

The NHS Trust massively failed that baby. A powerful institution sucking up money with no accountability. That baby was a massive red flag presenting to A&E shortly after adoption. The parents and foster parents deserve compensation as a matter of principle from that trust.

The kids at Harris Westminster have Saturday school. That is very heavily supported by Westminster School though.

Shocking that the protection and enabling is paid for by the tax payer. Why should the public be working so that abusers could be lavished and feted at royal palaces. Why did the tax payer pay for Sarah Ferguson to invite Epstein - she was no longer married to Andrew? Why did the Palace know about this for 6 years and it is only the recent exposure that has forced their hand to do anything?

The emails that show how palace aides brought Andrew and Fergie into Epstein's world

yeah, the difference is, the abuser of that baby is going to prison. His family haven't paid anyone off or been able to bury the story for years. Yes, society is full of bad eggs - but when you have an unimaginably wealthy and powerful institution protecting them and enabling them, that's even worse.

@Peacewillcome - if the Monarchy were no longer popular, rest assured a political party would have capitalised on that pronto and put it in their manifesto.

It says only 15% want an abolition, that is peanuts.
Just because the young currently feel different than 50 years ago, who knows how they will feel when they are older? In case you had not noticed, demographic changes are such that the old and middle aged are in charge because there are more of them! This is not going to change. Especially if a lot of young people are immigrants without a right to vote anyway.
This country is doomed for more small c ad infinitum due to an ageing population not less.
Also there are far more urgent and important causes than the monarchy.

The fact they have a dodgy uncle is not about them. It is a reflection on society as a whole, namely there are far too many sexual predators that walk amongst us. That recent case of a baby being abused yet again and attending A&E several times is far more of a concern to me personally than what the royals are up to. Or the Russian warships circulating on their days out.

https://natcen.ac.uk/news/public-support-monarchy-falls-historic-low-while-calls-abolition-start-rise

doesn’t disagree with the top line figures re: support however generational differences mean the direction of travel is away from support… I also noted in other tracking data that the two most popular members of the royal family are the late queen and Diana!

and @Araminta1003 really? You think Ascot does the royal family any favours? Dressed up in a carriage enjoying a flutter on the horses and a day of entertainment? It’s such a ‘let them eat cake’ moment. For me it epitomises the gulf and exemplifies why they need to go.

Brexit probably only happened because it rained that day and not enough people bothered to show up to vote.

The Royal Family though - imagine they did a referendum right now. The sun is shining, Ascot, England won the football, there is Wimbledon and they are more popular than all political parties individually, The establishment would time it such to be in a good time and it would be a clear win. And all the pensioners would show up to vote for the children. The Republicans are on a complete hiding to nowhere with this one and there is no first past the post strategy to game.

LavenderSweetPea · 16/06/2026 17:59
Yeah go on then, he seems like a nice lad and it's less than a penny per tax payer.

you see here’s what I find the really curious thing. He may be a nice lad. Or he may not be. He may be a kind boy. Or he may not be. He may be clever. Or he may not be. He may relish the opportunity or might feel shackled, intimidated and anxious. But this is what you get when you have hereditary rights. This is why we don’t make the children of doctors doctors etc etc. Birth is no guarantee of aptitude or ability. Makes zero sense. It’s often presented as ‘what a trooper’, ‘poor him’, burden and duty yadda yadda but is this not just one element of why the system is anachronistic and needs to change?

1p too much

Araminta1003 · Today 11:39
Start a petition for a referendum then and see where it gets you! Or stand as an MP with that as your sole cause

It would be interesting if there was a referendum. If it was say 55% keep and 45% remove, it would be just like brexit - we don’t like the result so we demand another referendum.

"Going to his local school" - amazing.

The OP started a thread about this and I've got sucked into it, but to be fair I would have if it was about their hats or their houses or their horses - I think it's all - to quote a wise woman - distasteful. I think it's distasteful we randomly picked one family generations ago to keep cossetted and coddled and allow to commit crimes and cover them up, and the whole thing is a ludicrous embarrassment from the small details to the larger ones.

@Ukisgaslit In fact if you or they are genuinely concerned about children and young people you should be grateful to those willing to keep highlighting the Andrew / Epstein scandal .

This is true. I wish the young teenager George well. I am also aware that the RF is extremely wealthy - they were able to pay £12 million for what happened to another teenager when they were in London.

The taxpayer pays for many RF privileges - I think we should know the cost of the security. It is extremely concerning that Royal palaces and Royal staff were used to invite and entertain Epstein. The tax payer paid for that to be facilitated. He had already been convicted of child sex abuse.

Please, let's continue to ask questions ....

I agree, Eton is not one. He is going to his local school with his mates from Lambrook. Big deal, not.
Booing at young children, really bad form.
Prince Andrew, shocking all round.

That about sums it up.

Oh well do let me know what the reasons you think are ok are, then. As you're the arbiter of what is acceptable and what isn't 😂

There are genuine reasons to criticise the royal establishment- this isn’t one.

Well I'm sorry to hear that: is this your first day on Mumsnet?

Yes, I understand they have some private wealth. Which perhaps raises the question of why they need quite so much extra on top of it....

Perhaps if we had a sense of what comes out of their 'private wealth' and therefore what the slack is that the state needs to pick up, that would help. "So, ok, you don't need any help with the school fees or the palace or the yacht or the servants or the security .... shall we just help out with the golden carriages then and call it quits?"

But don’t you understand that they have private wealth? I don’t think how they spend it is any of your business. Yes, I find your tone and language distasteful.

I didn't boo them, and I don't particularly think it was a good thing to do. I can understand why it happened though, and think the RF should have a think about the way the whole thing looked to many.

He knows others from his existing school and he will be local to home for exeats (as someone mentioned). Culturally, (whether we agree with it or not) he has already been in the prep school sphere attending Lambrook. If he can manage it there, then Eton is fab. It is more like going to university at 13 than school, as they have to be so independent and industrious. He will develop rapidly there and that’s what we would like for our future king, surely? They are also used to managing high profile kids who need security too, so I’d say it is a good shout for him and very much what everyone expected?

Well booing at young children is not going to be upping support for your cause from 24% now is it!

Distasteful 😂. None of our filthy plebby business, is it? We should just keep giving them money and not ask crass questions.

I always laugh when people say how much Eton is.

you should see the price of independent Sen schools.

one of mine was £70,000 a year (day) and the other £130,000 (residential )

both these Sen schools were funded by LA due to their statements (would now be ehcp’s) - was about 10 years ago - so same schools would be even more now!

eton is a bargain in comparison - though might not have met my kids needs

This is all very distasteful.

It’s worth pointing out that regardless of the Duchy etc the Prince and Princess of Wales are independently wealthy enough to educate their children as they choose. William inherited from his mother - Diana coming from an ancient and longstanding wealthy family in its own right. Kate and her siblings were educated privately - perhaps a family trust for educational purposes - and many wealthy families have and do the same.

I really can’t see that it’s any of our business.

Start a petition for a referendum @Ukisgaslit then and see where it gets you! Or stand as an MP with that as your sole cause.

But in the mean time, YouGov is generally pretty accurate and consistent on the Monarchy issue.
And this country is not up for a referendum after the last one I don’t think. And more worryingly, if there is going to be a referendum it looks more likely to be one to leave the European Convention on Human Rights so any aggravating behaviour giving them more fodder to that effect is really ill advised. It is not what most sensible people want.
We just want to live in peace, with good policing, good NHS and good education for our kids and a pension one day. We want to feel safe on our streets and not mobbed left right and centre by anyone putting their deluded cause (whatever that may be) above keeping the peace for us all.