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Kate Middleton and Princess Eugenie at university and Harry leaving Eton College© Getty

Royal family's A-Level results revealed - the grades Princess Kate, Prince Harry and more received

Can you guess which British royal got the best grades in their exams?

Sharnaz Shahid
Deputy Online Editor
Updated: August 15, 2024
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Thousands of students around the UK received their A-Level results on Thursday, and in honour of the occasion, we're taking a look back at the qualifications the royal family managed to secure during their education. And you may find that some of them are quite surprising!

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh's daughter, Lady Louise Windsor was the last British royal to receive her A-Level results in 2022, after studying English, History, Politics and Drama as her subjects. 

Buckingham Palace did not release Lady Louise's A-Level grades but standard entry requirements to the University of St Andrews are AAA, where the teenager is now doing an English degree.

WATCH: Londoners take HELLO!'s royal A-Level results quiz

Meanwhile, Edward and Sophie's son, James, Earl of Wessex, 16, will be among the students to receive his GCSE results on 22 August.

Read on to find out how the likes of the King, the Prince and Princess of Wales and Prince Harry fared in their A-Levels. 

Despite being educated at home before she received private lessons from the vice provost of Eton, Henry Marten, the late Queen Elizabeth II never actually sat an academic exam in her life. However, Her Late Majesty and the late Duke of Edinburgh made sure their children received the best education outside the walls of Buckingham Palace.

King Charles, who was a pupil at Gordonstoun, achieved five GCE O-Levels (now known as GCSEs), two A-Levels in history (B) and French (C). He was then awarded a 2:2 degree in history from Cambridge University.

Charles at Trinity College, Cambridge University, in 1967© Getty
Charles at Trinity College, Cambridge University, in 1967

His sister, Princess Anne, attended Benenden School in Kent, and gained six O-levels, and three A-Levels in English, History and Politics.

A teenage Prince Anne with other students© Getty
Princess Anne at Benenden School in Kent, in 1963

Just like their older brother and father, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward also studied at Gordonstoun in Scotland, with Andrew securing six O-levels and Edward gaining nine. They both achieved three A-Levels in English, History and Politics, while Edward managed to get a 2:2 degree in History from Cambridge University.

Prince Edward on his 21st birthday at Cambridge University© Getty
Prince Edward on his 21st birthday at Cambridge University

The King's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, broke family tradition by attending Eton school in Windsor. The Prince of Wales received 12 GCSEs and three A-Levels in Geography (A), History of Art (A) and Biology (C).

Prince William studying at Eton College© Getty
Prince William at his desk at Eton College

"I know how hard William worked to achieve these excellent results and I am very proud that he has done so well," Prince Charles said at the time via The Guardian. William went on to gain a 2:1 degree in Geography from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Meanwhile, Harry gained 11 GCSEs and two A-Levels, a B in Art and a D in Geography. After he left Eton in 2003, the British royal went travelling for a year before joining the army.

Prince Harry at Eton© Getty
Prince Harry in his dorm room at Eton

The Princess of Wales achieved 11 GCSEs at St Andrew's School in Pangbourne before she studied at Marlborough College in Wiltshire, where she received two As in Maths and Art, and a B in English. 

Kate Middleton and Prince William fell in love at university© Getty
Kate and William fell in love at university

After taking a gap year, Kate then went to the University of St Andrews in 2001, where she met her future husband. She graduated in 2005 with a 2:1 in History of Art.

LISTEN: Inside Princess Kate's struggles at school

Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, was a student at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles before she graduated from Northwestern University. Although there are no reports of her SATs, the American equivalent of GCSEs or A-Levels, the Duchess of Sussex achieved grades for university, where she gained a double major in Theatre and International Relations.

The Duke of York's daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie also fared well in their A-Level results.

Beatrice on her first day at Goldsmiths university© Getty
Princess Beatrice went on to attend Goldsmiths university

Beatrice gained an A in Drama and Bs in History and Film Studies from St George's School in Ascot in 2007. She went on to study History at Goldsmiths College in London, graduating in 2011 with a 2:1 degree.

Princess Eugenie© Getty
Princess Eugenie on her first day at St Georges before she joined Marlborough College

Meanwhile, her younger sister Eugenie gained As in Art and English Literature as well as a B in History of Art from Marlborough College in 2008. After taking a gap year, she went on to study at Newcastle University and graduated with a 2:1 in English Literature and History of Art in 2012.

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