Why Princess Diana Sent William and Harry to Boarding School at 8, Despite Being 'In Tears'

Princess Diana had to adhere to many royal traditions while raising her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, and she specifically struggled with sending her kids to boarding school so young.  

King Charles III was the first heir apparent to attend boarding school instead of being taught by private tutors at the palace. He was sent to Cheam School in Newbury at age 8 and later attended Gordonstoun in Scotland at 13, where his father, Prince Philip, was a distinguished alum. Although multiple outlets reported Charles didn’t enjoy his time at boarding school, even getting bullied in his younger years, he ended his schooling on a positive note. 

In 1975, he praised the school’s positive impact on his life by saying, “I am lucky in that I believe it taught me a great deal about myself and my own abilities and disabilities.”

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When it came to his own sons, Charles also wanted to send them to boarding school at age 8, in line with his “new” royal tradition.

Diana also attended boarding school but had a much different experience. At age 9, she attended the all-girls Riddlesworth Hall School near Thetford. In 1973, at age 12, she began attending West Heath Girls’ School in Kent. Although Diana excelled in sports and community service, she struggled academically and left the school at 16. 

The Princess of Wales’ brother, Charles Spencer, said she had a hard time separating from her family during her early years away at school. He claimed Diana told her father, Edward John Spencer, “If you loved me, you wouldn’t leave me here.”

Given her own complicated history with school, Diana was conflicted about sending William and Harry to boarding school so young. While it was agreed that they would start at age 8, she pushed back on them attending Gordonstoun and “insisted” they be closer to home. William and Harry attended Ludgrove School in Berkshire before moving on to Eton College in Windsor at 13, where Diana’s father and brother attended.

Diana was reportedly “in tears” when she dropped William off for his first day at Ludgrove School. However, despite her kids being away, she kept a very “hands-on” approach with them and would reportedly send them the “rudest cards you could imagine” to make them laugh. Eventually, Diana came around to their education and thought boarding school offered them a more “normal” life, thanks to the privacy and socializing with their peers. 

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William generally loved his time at Eton, with royal experts claiming it was a “safe harbour” for him in the years following Diana’s death in 1997. He excelled in academics and was on the water polo and soccer teams. Harry, on the other hand, said in his 2023 memoir, Spare, that he “didn’t enjoy” his years at Eton and “had a lot of anger” as he struggled with isolation and loneliness.