No one picks Eaton for the educational excellence and I believe shagging horsey women is in the brochure

To be fair, anyone else who was only capable of a B and a D at A level would not get into Eton. I suspect he wasn't bright enough to access much of their education, nor interested enough to take advantage of the amazing opportunities a school like that offers. Should he have been there? Probably not, he wouldn't have fitted in on an intellectual level at all. Should other boys go? Absolutely.
Did the shagging happen at school? Sounds like an exeat weekend activity to me.

Not a dilemma I ever had to face, even if I had had a bottomless bank balance.

Spent a lot of time at Eton in my school days. I was in boarding school in Ascot and we used their facilities.

Everyone shagged everyone, drank, took drugs.

Nothing has changed

He is obviously not that bright but Eton has quite high entry standards generally and this is reflected in their results. He probably would have had a better time attending Stowe or Millfield.

Anyone who wants their bratt to be an MP !

Haven't read the book but seems like Harry is shitting all over everything and everyone he's ever touched in his life. I wonder if he'll live to regret all this when he matures a bit. Seriously damaged guy. On the subject of Neighbours at lunchtime - this is exactly what we did at my boarding school! Finished lunch and ran back to the boarding house to get a good spot in the TV room! You are allowed downtime at boarding school too!
Of course Harry wouldn't have got into Eton had he not been a royal. It's not an easy school to get into even if you can afford it.

Wasn't his grade B for art and his art teacher spilled the beans saying she had done his coursework for him? She also said that the teachers would whisper answers to students in the exams.

Private/boating school teenagers are still teenagers. I would say that the behaviour you describe (presumably from something Harry has written) is pretty standard. Did you imagine Eton students sitting quietly studying and debating?

You only have to read about the debauchery at Oxford Uni with BoJo and his crew to realise that this is how they behave.

Just because someone is Royal it doesn't mean they are going to be a genius. Back in those days B & D was enough to get into uni.

Eton is a pathway to Oxford or other similar uni and then into politics, banking, business etc so yes people will still send their children there.

@felulageller

I went to a decent girls grammar and we used to watch neighbours at lunch too. It was really popular. Pre internet there wasn't much choice. Lots of girls from my school seem to have done ok.

To be fair, anyone else who was only capable of a B and a D at A level would not get into Eton

It's perfectly possible and not at all uncommon to get a B and a D even if you're plenty bright enough to do much better though, especially if you spend your time watching Neighbours, shagging and taking drugs. As for dodgy stuff only happening on exeats - hmmm! I knew quite a lot of Etonians at university. If I'd had a load of money to send my dc to an independent school, it sure as hell wouldn't have been Eton. Or any boarding school.

Name change for this.

My DS went to a boys boarding school, not Eton the one in Hampshire. We bitterly regret it but it's very difficult to admit in real life. He lives in the US now and has been able to remove it from his life.

I do wince everytime I see see / hear Rishi Sunak blabbing on about how it changed the trajectory of his life. What a jerk ! Hopefully the next election will put an end to that.

I an astonished that anyone still sends their sons there.

@Nsmechange2023 why do you regret? We have been vaguely considering Winchester for one of ours in the future.

I have always wondered how some people pass the entrance exam. I'm told it's not your grades but who you get nearer to in a private school.

My son goes to a all boys school. Interesting things happen at all boys schools that's for sure

It has been said more than once that Charles and Di were told Harry was not Eton material and they were looking elsewhere, but then she died and a concession was made to keep them together

How true?

As true or untrue as any RF rumour can be I guess

Harry was already on record from an Africa trip for saying he hated his school

I also went to a (much less famous) boarding school as a day girl, and we also all watched Neighbours at lunch time. Sometimes again at 5:30 too - which was our free time between afternoon lessons/sports and dinner. Occasionally we'd watch a video instead, but we only had about 4, so I know Cruel Intentions and 10 Things I Hate About You off by heart.

I got 4As at A-level and went to Cambridge, so I don't think we can blame a bit of (shit) TV for everything that followed for Harry.

My DDs boarded. Neither they, nor us, regret it. No you couldn’t get into university with a B and D when Harry was 18. He’s not that old! The old polytechnics would take 2 A levels pre 1992 and art schools but that wasn’t on the cards for Harry. His sexual encounter was in a field behind a pub. Sounds more like expat or holidays in Gloucestershire.

Charles and Diana were idiots sending Harry to Eton. He was never suitable. Plenty of other schools would have been much better. Diana wasn’t academically great so she should have understood that you need a school to suit a child. Charles hated Gordonstoun. They made a poor choice for Harry and Harry now makes poor choices for himself. Boarding is brilliant for the right Dc and Eton is a great choice for the right Dc, as is Winchester. It’s all about fit.

It can’t be that bad there because a number of friends from uni (Cambridge) teach there and they were and are pretty intelligent. Most of them are also talented in either sports, music or drama.
If I had that kind of money though I would probably spend it on something like a priceless violin. Or lots of amazing travel opportunities for the DC. Or retire early!

Harry admitted in Spare to taking an extra year at Ludgrove, skipping lots of assignments, and that he needed lots of tutoring to get through Eton. It’s a school for highly motivated, focused, and intelligent self starters. Diana didn’t pass one O level. Eton was the wrong school for him.
He said he flied with flying colors through the Sandhurst exams, but it seems doubtful for the written exams. From his narration, Of Mice and Men is the only book he ever finished. Mr. Sussex was cranky when Charles recommended books. I’m sure Charles would have enjoyed introducing Harry to favorite books and discussing them. It was one way my mother and I bonded.

He denies this in the book, interestingly.

The bit that stood out to me about his boarding school experience was the boys all lined up, lying back in their baths while the matrons washed their hair for them.

Well he would deny it, wouldn’t he? That admission would make him look very stupid. No pupil took 2 A levels at Eton. Except Harry. He was in the wrong school and in some ways he must have known he was bottom in the intelligence ranks. I’ve read he could not progress from Captain because he would not be expected to pass the exams for Major. Also, these days, plenty of Sandhurst recruits are already graduates.

I refuse to read Harry’s book let alone buy it.

However, was he happy at Eton? Or did he hate it? Why does it matter what A levels he got? Sounds like he had fun there and that is what he may have needed?
Is the hair washing from Ludgrove - I mean I still offered to wash my DCs hair up until 10 (especially long hair for girls) because all hell would break loose if they got shampoo in their eyes or inevitably, they used too much shampoo, got dandruff from too much product etc etc. So why is washing an under 13 hair an issue? Don’t they start at 7 plus there so are really little?
The dentist also always says to keep brushing children’s teeth for as long as they let you!

Or in other words, if Harry had gone to the local Windsor comp he would have failed his A levels and probably got 2 Es or not even sat them, so surely a B and a D is an improvement on that?

People seem to think that if you pay lots of money for education it is the school’s job to get a pupil the best grades. A school cannot change a pupil’s innate ability, just get a little more out of them with lots of extra attention/care. I am sure some unhappy children fall through the cracks though, even in the top private schools. I doubt they would have let him of all people fall through the cracks.

Eton has chucked out some good ones over the years - Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddlestone, George Orwell, Ian Fleming and the like.

Seems the same as most schools of its ilk - some kids do well and are clever etc but a large chunk go because of who their parents are and no amount of money will make them clever or appealing .