Ever wondered what members of the Royal Family got on the GSCEs? Here's the breakdown.
In a recent study conducted by the famed Oxford Royale, Meghan Markle has beaten other royals to top the intelligence list. The result, which was based on analytics of royals' academic performance and other quantifiable factors, has left many fans wondering about the education results of other Royal Family members, including the Queen, Prince William, and Kate Middleton, to name a few.
Inevitably, their royal status means the Queen and her grandchildren could be entitled to unwritten privileges in universities, but the truth remains that they did excel at specific subjects. In honor of A-level results day a few days ago, let's take a walk down memory lane to see which royal was the most brilliant at high schools.
Queen Elizabeth II
As far as we know, Her Majesty was home-schooled by a governess from 9.30 am until 11 am when she was a child. However, after being chosen to be the monarch, she received lessons on constitutional history from the vice provost of Eton, Henry Marten. Professor Kate Williams, royal author of Young Elizabeth has said that The Queen is an inborn intelligent girl with great eagerness for learning. Starting slower due to her lack of former education, however, did not impede Her Majesty since she is ‘naturally analytical and something of an autodidact’, said the author.
Prince William
Prince William is the first member of the Royal family who broke the tradition of attending Gordonstoun in Scotland by getting a degree in Eton school, Windsor in 1995. Throughout the studying period, he received 12 GCSEs and three A-Levels; A in Geography, B in Art, and C in Biology.
Prince Charles once spoke proudly about his son’s records:
‘I know how hard William worked to achieve these excellent results and I am very proud that he has done so well’.
The Duke of Cambridge resumed his academic journey by going on to the University of St Andrews to study Art History, where he met his now-wife Kate Middleton, after going on a gap year. Eventually, he changed courses to study Geography, where he left with a 2:1 degree.
Prince Harry
In comparison with his brother, Prince Harry seems to be on the unfavored side. Even though he did not excel in academic performance, he managed to gain 11 GCSEs and two A-Levels; a B in Art and a D in Geography. After that, he went to the same college as his older brother but his subjects were still a mystery that Buckingham Palace has kept under wrap. Despite his less excellent grades, Harry was House Captain of Games and represented the school in rugby, cricket, and polo, and was a member of the Combined Cadet Force. After graduating from Eton in 2003, he went traveling for a year with the Royal Family before joining the army.
Kate Middleton
The Duchess of Cambridge is no less studious than her husband, Prince William as she achieved 11 GCSEs at St Andrew's School in Pangbourne before studying at Marlborough College in Wiltshire.
She was definitely a high flyer at school as she received two As in Maths and Art and a B in English. Similarly to William, she also took a gap year and then went to the University of St Andrews in 2001, where she met her future husband. She left school in 2005 with a 2:1 in History of Art.
Meghan Markle
Although there is no record of the Duchess of Sussex in GCSEs or A-Levels, she is believed to have achieved high SAT II grades when studying at Immaculate Heart High School. The budding actress got grades for university and gained a double major in Theatre and International Relations at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. These impressive stats have led to Meghan being crowned the 'most intelligent Royal Family member'.
Princess Eugenie
Princess Eugenie managed to get three A*s, four As, and three Bs in her GCSEs, making her one of the most brilliant royals. Her outstanding stats landed her a place at the prestigious Newcastle University, where she graduated with a 2:1 degree in English Literature, History of Art, and Politics in 2012.
Read more:
⋙ Meghan Markle named as the most intelligent British royal in new study
⋙ 5 Fun facts you didn't know about Meghan Markle
⋙ Lady Louise Windsor to attend prestigious university where William and Kate met
