How Eton became the ultimate four-letter word – and not fit for a king?

As the Prince and Princess of Wales consider sending George to Marlborough, ex-Etonian Guy Walters considers the reputation of his (and William’s) old school and whether, for good or bad, it is really deserved

Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997), wearing a blue jacket over a black dress, with Eton housemaster Dr Andrew Gailey, Prince Harry, Prince William, and Prince Charles outside Manor House on Prince William's first day at Eton College in Eton (Getty Images)

It is hard to think of a more powerful four-letter word in the English language than Eton. Just two vowels and two consonants capture a whole surging mass of class envy, hatred, privilege, elitism and toxicity. Search for Eton on social media and up will come numerous posts claiming that people who went to the school are all corrupt crooks, and how Etonians essentially rule not just Britain but most of the known universe. There’s no doubt that a lot of people loathe Eton and see it as a symbol for all the inequalities that plague British society.

In fact, the school is so hated that even the Nazis – no strangers to the concept of an evil, elite master race – were highly suspicious of the place. According to Airey Neave, an Old Etonian and the first Brit to escape from Colditz, the Nazis regarded Eton as “sinister, mysterious, and incalculable”, and that its former pupils were “soft but cunning”, and “should therefore be carefully watched and reports compiled about their activities”.

It, therefore, might come as little surprise that it looks likely – although unconfirmed – that the Prince and Princess of Wales look set not to send Prince George to his father’s old school, but rather to Marlborough, where his mother apparently thrived. Although there might be perfectly sensible scholastic, logistical and security reasons why William and Kate, the parents of two boys and a girl, might wish to send their children to the same co-ed school, it is still a shock to learn that the most famous school in the world would appear to be no longer fit for a king.