Prince Edward's A-level results that got him into Cambridge may surprise you - but not in a good way.
- Prince Edward was educated as a young man at Gordonstoun boarding and day school in Moray, Scotland.
- The Prince and his two brothers, Prince Andrew and King Charles, all attended this prestigious private school during their formative years where they received their A-levels.
- In other royal news, The one wardrobe item Kate Middleton's never worn since becoming a senior royal - and she used to love it!
As A-level results around the country are announced, some people are rather curious about the Royal Family's A-level and GSCE results, which helped them to get into some of the most prestigious universities in the country. In particular, the members of the Royal Family who managed to get into Oxbridge universities - despite their results being less than desirable...
Following the lead of his elder brothers, King Charles and Andrew, the Duke of York, Prince Edward also went to Gordonstoun in Scotland and received the most O-Levels (GCSE equivalent) of all his siblings. Edward received nine O-Levels which was rather impressive in comparison to Charles's and Anne's six O-Levels.
However, the Prince was somewhat scuppered by his A-levels and received three A-Levels in English (C), History (D), and Politics (D). Despite this, he was in fact accepted into Cambridge University and studied at Jesus College - something that caused controversy and complaints of nepotism.
The controversy surrounding Prince Edward's acceptance into Cambridge was examined in The Crown.
In season four, episode four, a teenage Prince Edward has dinner with his mother the Queen. While they chat about his academic performance Prince Edward said, "Don’t worry, I’ve met all the Cambridge acceptance people, they’re going to make it happen. They’re no fools, it’s good for them too ‒ a member of the Royal Family at Jesus College! Just wait and see how the applications rocket."
The Queen replies, "that's not a particularly attractive attitude." To which Edward says, "It's true though isn't it. Same with the Marines, same with the city, same with any area of life I might fancy, people will always want me. And what do you expect me to do about that? Say no? There has to be some upside to being who we are. And some return for what we do for the country."
Of course, it's unknown if this conversation ever really took place, or if the Prince did in fact feel as though he was entitled to a place at the prestigious university, despite his lower grades. Nevertheless, the Prince went on to study at Cambridge and received a 2:2 in History when he graduated in 1986.
King Charles received the same grade and degree in History when he graduated from Cambridge in 1970. He is now the first monarch to earn a university degree.
