queen school photo© Photo: Getty Images

The Queen's unearthed school photo will melt your heart

See the late monarch studying

Homes Editor
September 23, 2022

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had an unconventional school life, having her lessons at home at Windsor Castle, and she looked incredibly studious in an unearthed photograph.

MORE: 12 times the royals looked super proud in school uniform

Taken in 1940, this black and white image shows the then Princess Elizabeth working alongside her sister Princess Margaret.

WATCH: The Queen's Corgis attend her funeral procession 

The siblings have an array of books arranged on a round table as they sit in the drawing room of the grand castle, surrounded by gilded glamour.

One of their beloved pet Corgis sleeps beside them as they embark on their studies, clearly uninterested in the lesson of the day.

© Photo: Getty Images

The Queen pictured studying at home

The pair were taught by their mother and governess, Marion Crawford, who they affectionately called 'Crawfie'.

MORE: The royal family's A-Level results revealed - see which grades they achieved

READ: Prince William shares touching memory of what happened shortly after the Queen died

According to royalcentral.co.uk, the duo learnt about maths, history, dancing, art and singing. The Queen also went on to become fluent in both French and German.

© Photo: Getty Images

The late monarch was home schooled

Professor Kate Williams, author of Young Elizabeth revealed: "The lack of a formal education didn't harm her as she [was] naturally analytical and something of an autodidact (self-taught), as well as being hard-working – which we know now is just as important as raw brainpower,"

Another picture revealed the late monarch working away on her own, again in the drawing room which clearly doubled as a classroom. This time, Elizabeth was seen using a pen to write in one of her exercise books.

The Queen and her sister were the last generation of royals to be educated at home, and since, members of the family have been sent to high performing private schools.

© Photo: Getty Images

Since the Queen, the royals have attended conventional schools

Princes Harry and William attended Ludgrove School and both studied at Eton College afterwards.

The Prince of Wales' children,  Prince GeorgePrincess Charlotte and Prince Louis have recently changed schools, and they are now settling in to Lambrook School near Windsor. They had their first week when the Queen sadly passed away on 8 September.

Like this story? Sign up to The Royal Life newsletter to get your weekly dose of royal lifestyle inspiration, from the must-see fashion moments to sneak peeks into royal homes and wellness news.

Sign up to HELLO Daily! for the best royal, celebrity and lifestyle coverage

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Parenting

See more