George going to Marlborough? Article linked.

[Greatballzoffire]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12872215/William-kate-snub-eton-george-marlborough-college-second-visit.html

So now at least one poster thinks it’s acceptable to describe a 10 year old child who I assume they have never met, as anxious and sensitive.
How distasteful.
Trying to imagine the outrage if someone made a derogatory comment about Archie or Lilibet .
As far as I am concerned ALL the Royal children should be left alone.

Absolutely, @Mylovelygreendress .

I think sitting in carriages waving at huge crowds and turning up to events in front of banks of paparazzi he’s shown no signs of anxiety. If my Dd had had to do that at 10yo she’d have had to have been dragged there sobbing. 🤷‍♀️

He’s possibly slightly reserved/quiet on such occasions as he’s probably been told to be on best behaviour as people will take photos /videos of him which will follow him around for life. It’s a lot of pressure but I think they’re all doing great.

We have no idea (and nor should we) about his personality the other 99% of the time. I’m sure his parents will choose the best school for him.

so agree. (yet you had to bring A&L into it lol)

I did it deliberately @Samcro as I remember a less than pleasant comment about one of the Sussex DC and there was ( rightly) a huge number of outraged posters .

I'm more concerned by the notion that Eton doesn't 'do' sensitive. I don't want another old Etonian political leader with the hide of a rhino. Finer feelings should be cultivated.

I think they may be allowed the luxury of holding multiple offers until they know their circumstances / George’s temperament and likes when he is 13.

@Samcro "So now at least one poster thinks it’s acceptable to describe a 10 year old child who I assume they have never met, as anxious and sensitive.
How distasteful"

It's only distasteful if you regard anxious and sensitive as insults. Nobody appears to have a problem with describing the little one as boisterous and comical or Charlotte as caring. I had an anxious and sensitive child. Anybody with an ounce of empathy could see it in his face in pictures or in RL. And I see exactly the same look in George. It is extremely odd on a thread full of speculation to find this distasteful.

But @CurlewKate people do have a problem and have shared it multiple times about describing "the little one as boisterous" or Charlotte as caring - there has been a consistent plea shared by most of the posters on these threads not to label any of the children in any way - its what the media does and then reinforces that stereotype or waits for a behaviour that appears to counter the stereotype to set them up to fail - G as sensitive until one day he's grumpy etc etc. We don't like it when the media does it, so why be accepting of it on these threads.

@CurlewKate what about George's recent appearances at the Jubilee, the Queen's funeral, the Coronation and the other events they've been at leads you to think he's so "sensitive and anxious" that he couldn't cope at a school like Eton?

He had a featured role at all of the recent big events and seemed no more overly "anxious and sensitive" than any of the other page boys who carried the King's robes.

He may well be, but I've seen nothing else that leads me to feel he's any more or less anxious than a typical 10yo. And I say this as a mother whose dd suffered from (& still does) severe social anxiety.

To me he just looks like a lovely boy, all three seem lovely children, most children are lovely.

@MrsFinkelstein Being sensitive and anxious doesn't mean you can't perform when necessary. My anxious child took a leading role in a play at the National Theatre. Obviously not the Coronation, but comparatively the same thing. As I said, saying someone is sensitive and anxious is not a criticism. Sad that some think it is.

So you have nothing to back up your statement. OK.

You keep saying you're not criticising but it seems pretty obvious that's how you intend it. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I only have friends and colleagues with sons at Eton, but just to point out that it is a huge boys school with all personality types anyway. And the ones we happen to know are sensitive and kind. Anecdotal, of course, but you can’t generalise a personality type going to a particular school anyway. And apparently the houses really differ in feel too and it will very much depend on the cohort a boy is in anyway.

Most boarding schools will try and select children who get on with others and are at least somewhat independent and comfortable socially. I don’t get the impression that a sensitive child wouldn’t thrive at Eton. Most of the dames are nurturing and the house system is meant to be homely. I think this school has enough funds to achieve that. And that is really the point - it is a rich school that is quite selective so they can pick and choose and cater more to the individual child than some other schools.

@Mylovelygreendress Unless that poster knows the child she has no idea if he is anxious and sensitive or not. But it is not derogatory to say a child is anxious and sensitive. Unless you are a stiff upper lip chap sort of person.

A house system in a boarding school is never homely. Children are living in an institution being looked after by paid staff.
Homely is a childs actual home with their parents.

@mantyzer - I boarded 16-18 and found it very homely and had to best time of my life, trumping Cambridge university. Many of my friends and family feel the same way. Post 13/14, many teens are much happier being with friends than family. That is a fact. These days many boarding schools are very homely.
Mine was, even back in the 90s- it was one of the more free thinking liberal schools at the time.

The question for a royal is surely whether they are going to make really good friends boarding and be treated as more “normal” during those years. In house, you will just be one of many after the initial star struck has passed. I am assuming that is why they are considering boarding schools in the first place. Precisely to get a more normal social experience for their kids. For some families, boarding is still the norm although it seems to have shifted to 13-18 mainly now.

The Royal kids are living in an institution being looked after by paid staff anyway, so I doubt it would make too much difference! They will also be going to boarding school either way.
However there have been many people who have said they were damaged by boarding school, and whether or not at 13/14 they wanted to be with their friends is neither here nor there. When they look back as adults they have a different perspective.

Not all regret it. My brother loved boarding school & both of my dcs revelled in a boarding school. They were day pupils but asked to board a few nights a week then full weekly boarding at GCSE and A levels.

They are in their 20’s now and say wouldn’t change anything. My brother wouldn’t either but we do get the occasional glimpses of boarding school humour!

Forgot to add my youngest didn’t like their school so I moved in year 10 and thrived at their next boarding school. Again started off as day pupil and went from there.

we do get the occasional glimpses of boarding school humour!

What's that?!

@MrsFinkelstein "
You keep saying you're not criticising but it seems pretty obvious that's how you intend it."

It most certainly isn't. As I said, it can ONLY be read as a criticism if that is how you think about a person being anxious and sensitive.

@CurlewKate Just stop the ridiculous speculation about the personality & character of a child you don't know from Adam

@lepapillon "@CurlewKate Just stop the ridiculous speculation about the personality & character of a child you don't know from Adam"

No. That is all we can do on threads like these. There are a million posts saying "They look as if they are X."

It most certainly isn't. As I said, it can ONLY be read as a criticism if that is how you think about a person being anxious and sensitive.

I have never heard anxious used as a positive description of someone.