Where do Europe’s young royals go to school?

United World College of the Adriatic

The Dutch royal family has announced that Princess Ariane, 16, the youngest daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, will start attending the United World College of the Adriatic in Duino this autumn, where she will obtain an international bachelor’s degree.

The United World College of the Adriatic, which looks more like an elegant cliff-top hotel than a school, is located in the town of Duino, in the province of Trieste, less than 5 km from the border with Slovenia. The tuition fee for the two-year period is approximately £40,000 and subjects include the Serbian language, World Arts and Cultures and Environmental Systems.

Established in 1982, the school offers students an ‘open campus’ experience where they are accommodated in residence halls scattered throughout the picturesque village. “In this way they have the opportunity to mix with the locals, and the fact that everyone studies Italian facilitates this aspect,” explains the school on its website. “In our diverse community, cultural exchange occurs in many ways. The very diversity of the student body is such that even informal everyday interactions with peers and teachers are excellent learning opportunities.

There is no shortage of activities either: students make the most of the natural landscape by climbing, sailing and kayaking.

United World College of the Atlantic

Princess Ariane of the Netherlands is the latest in a long line of royals to attend a UWC school: both her father, King Willem-Alexander, and her sister Princess Alexia attended UWC of the Atlantic (the Welsh equivalent of the United World College of the Adriatic) near Cardiff. Princess Alexia graduated last weekend together with Princess Leonor, eldest daughter of Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain.

Leonor’s younger sister Princess Sofia of Spain is expected to enroll at the United World College of the Atlantic at the end of 2023 to complete her international bachelor’s degree, while Princess Elisabeth, heir to the Belgian throne, graduated from the same school in 2020. Alumni to have attended the 12th-century medieval castle in the Vale of Glamorgan county borough include Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein of Jordan. In 2020, the times he called the United World College of the Atlantic a “Hogwarts for hippies”, describing it as “an atypical boarding school” which prefers educators and vegans to “directors and governesses”.

The 18 existing UWCs were founded by German educationist Kurt Hahn, who also opened Gordonstoun School, where the late Duke of Edinburgh and King Charles III studied. Because Hahn believed that his educational method would accelerate the resolution of international conflicts, United World Colleges aim to promote world peace and foster a spirit of unity. To obtain the international bachelor’s degree, students (mostly beneficiaries of scholarships that cover all expenses, financed by benefactors from all over the world) must attend school for two years.

Gordonstoun School

Located in the expansive and spectacular Scottish Highlands, Gordonstoun is a popular destination for both British and European aristocracy. Named after the 150-acre estate owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 17th century, the college was founded in 1934 and has educated a long line of royalty. Alumni include King Charles III, his father, Prince Philip, his brother, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne’s children: Peter Philips and Zara Tindall. At Gordonstoun, Peter acted as student representative, while Zara was the second female member of the royal family to attend the school (the first being Lady Helen Taylor, nee Windsor, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent).

Foreign royals who have attended the school include Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia and Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau, currently sixth in line to the Dutch throne. The institute is famous above all for its very particular training methodology ofoutdoor training: hiking along the coast, camping in the Cairngorms and search and rescue expeditions are mandatory activities, and so, generation after generation, parents send their children to learn (as they did before) from the great outdoors.

Institut Le Rosey, Rolle (Switzerland)

Founded in 1880 on the site of the 14th-century Château du Rosey, Rolle’s Institut Le Rosey, whose tuition is £110,000 a year, is considered the most expensive school in the world. Known as ‘the school of kings’, the ‘world-renowned’ institution boasts an impressive plethora of royal alumni, including the former Shah of Persia, Prince Rainier of Monaco, Prince William, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Prince Dasho Ugyen Jigme Wangchuck of Bhutan, Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece and King Faruq of Egypt. The school was also attended by numerous children of famous people, including those of Elizabeth Taylor, John Lennon and Winston Churchill. Musicians Albert Hammond Jr. and Julian Casablancas, who would later go on to form the US rock band the Strokes, also met at Le Rosey.

Being a ‘100% boarding school’, the institute prides itself on its ‘community life’ and claims that ‘almost everyone [gli studenti] they shed a tear on the day of departure.’ From January to March, pupils use the school’s second campus in the exclusive resort of Gstaad, where they spend the winter months skiing. It seems that students are also encouraged to spend weekends in various European locations to broaden their cultural and international horizons.

Lakefield College School, Canada

Lakefield College School bills itself as “Canada’s best prep school, boarding school and private day school.” The institute, which presents itself as a “small community attentive to others”, boasts many members of royal families among its alumni. In 1978, Prince Andrew spent a semester there as an international exchange student, while King Felipe of Spain completed his secondary education there before returning to his homeland to study at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Despite no longer having anything to do with the school, Andrea would maintain a relationship with Lakefield as “honorary president and member of the board of directors” until 2019.

Lakefield’s location, nestled along the Otonabee River between Toronto and Ottawa, is one of its major strengths, as well as boasting idyllic surrounding countryside, it offers students the opportunity to participate in a plethora of lakeside activities . As the school’s website states: “You can’t help but notice how happy our students are.”

Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil, Switzerland

Princess Marie of Denmark, William, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Prince Félix and Princess Claire of Luxembourg attended this prestigious school in the Swiss Alps. Félix and Claire, who got married in 2013, met while studying at Beau Soleil. Founded in 1910, the Collège is one of the oldest private boarding schools in the country and hosts students of over 40 nationalities. With fewer than 300 pupils, Beau Soleil can offer not only private but also one-on-one instruction, making it an excellent choice for young royalty. In the past, the Daily Telegraph he called the institute “one of the most exclusive schools in the world”.

As well as boasting views of Mont Blanc and unique skiing opportunities, the school (which has a tuition fee of £99,000 a year) offers ‘a comprehensive winter sports programme’. The school’s ethos focuses on “promoting a broad world view among students,” who undertake field trips to far-flung places such as Cambodia, Ghana and Tanzania.

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