eton© Photo: Rex

Prince Harry and William's famous fellow alumni at £45k per year school

Eton College is a prolific boys boarding school situated in Windsor

Fashion features writer
February 7, 2023

Eton College is regarded as one of the most exclusive schools in the world, so it's hardly surprising that its alumni include a handful of famous faces. Prince Harry and William's boarding school, which is situated across the bridge from Windsor Castle, costs £45,000 per year and accepts the best and the brightest students who have gone on to become actors, politicians and writers.

The school has since upheld its royal reputation since the princes were dropped off by their parents Princess Diana and King Charles III back in 1995 for their registration, a moment you can relive below.

WATCH: Prince Harry and Prince William visit Eton College

From Eddie Redmayne to Tom Hiddleston, Boris Johnson to David Cameron, keep scrolling to discover which celebrities attended Eton College both before, after and with the princes.

Eddie Redmayne

© Photo: Getty Images

Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne went to Eton College from 1995 to 2000 and was in the same school year as Prince William. The pair played rugby together and are reportedly still friends to this day.

Tom Hiddleston

© Photo: Rex

Golden Globe-winning actor Tom Hiddleston also attended Eton College at the same time as Prince William, although he was in the year above the royal. He even admitted to starring in plays alongside Eddie Redmayne at school during an appearance on the Graham Norton Show.

Boris Johnson

© Photo: Getty Images

Former prime minister Boris Johnson is another well-known Eton alumni. The controversial politician was the fifth Eton-educated prime minister since World War II.

David Cameron

© Photo: Getty Images

David Cameron was yet another prime minister to attend the school. The Conservative politician was a pupil at the school from 1979 to 1984.

George Orwell

© Photo: Getty Images

Eric Arthur Blair, aka George Orwell, was a writer, journalist and critic who started out his academic days at Eton. Orwell studied at the school until December 1921, subsequently moving to Burma, now Myanmar, to start work.

Bear Grylls

© Photo: Getty Images

Adventurer Edward Michael 'Bear' Grylls was also on the Eton entry list. The famous explorer headed straight into the army after school, where he set up the school's first mountaineering club.

Ian Fleming

© Photo: Getty Images

James Bond author Ian Fleming was yet another fully-fledged Etonian. The writer attended the school in 1921 and was unsurprisingly the editor of the school magazine The Wynvern. Apparently, he wasn't massively academically gifted but excelled in sports during his time there.

Dominic West

© Photo: Getty Images

Clearly, the drama teachers at Eton deserve a raise as they really have churned out quite the glittering cohort of actors. Dominic West perhaps wasn't so attuned to boarding school life as he told Radio Times leaving home was "the worst feeling" he ever had.

Damian Lewis

© Photo: Getty Images

Homeland star Damian Lewis also wasn't such a fan of being away from home at a young age. The former Etonian told The Sunday Times Magazine: "You go through something which, at that age, defines you and your ability to cope. There’s a sudden lack of intimacy with a parent, and your ability to get through that defines you emotionally for the rest of your life." Lewis started boarding aged eight.

Hugh Laurie

© Photo: Getty Images

Last but not least, beloved actor Hugh Laurie was an Etonian who excelled at school. Speaking to Interview Magazine, the star revealed: "I was captain of my house. To be a head boy, you have to be very clever, you have to be a scholar, and I was never a scholar in any shape or form." However, considering he continued on to study archaeology and anthropology at Selwyn College, Cambridge, we might have to argue that he was indeed something of a clever clogs at school.

MORE ETON: Prince Harry and Prince William's peculiar schoolboy slang revealed

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