These are all the royals who didn't go to university
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As summer draws to an end and September rolls in, teens across the country will be gearing up for the big move to university. And that includes the royals too, with Lady Louise Windsor – who has been working at a garden centre all summer long – heading off to St Andrews in Scotland.
But, not everyone has their sights set on university, and there are plenty of other options for those who aren't pursuing higher education. From getting stuck into the working world to jetting off on a gap year (or five), the alternatives to doing a degree are quite literally endless.
If you don't believe me, just take a look at the Royal Family – many of whom opted not to study at university. From Prince Harry to Princess Diana, these are all the royals who didn't go to university...
The Queen
Whilst you'll need a fair few degrees under your belt to become, say, a rocket scientist, the same can't be said for taking the top job in the royal household. In fact, Her Majesty the Queen – who is the longest-serving monarch in British history – did not attend university.
Instead, the Queen (and her sister Princess Margaret) were privately educated at home by their governess until 1936 when their father became King. After that, the now-Queen received private tuition from Eton College’s Vice-Provost, Henry Marten, in preparation for her future role as Monarch.
Princess Margaret
As we've already discovered, Princess Margaret and the Queen studied together until their father took over the throne. Although she continued her studies privately – which included French, art and piano – Princess Margaret did not go on to study at university, instead taking on duties as a senior working royal.
Prince Harry
Unlike his brother Prince William, who attended university at St Andrews – where he met his now-wife, Kate Middleton – Prince Harry did not choose to pursue a degree.
Instead, after graduating from Eton, Harry went on to have a sucessful military career, completing ten months of training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He later went on to serve in the British Army for a decade, working his way up to the rank of Captain and undertaking two tours of Afghanistan.
Princess Diana
Although not technically a royal at the time of her studies, Princess Diana failed her O-levels (what we now call A-levels) twice. Just one year later, she married into the Royal Family and began her career as a senior member of The Firm.
Despite having been privately educated at a boarding school herself, Princess Diana wanted to ensure her sons had as normal an upbringing as possible. As such, Prince William and Prince Harry became the first royals to be educated within the public school system.
Princess Anne
Following in her mother's footsteps, Princess Anne did not go study at university but chose to follow her passion as an equestrian. Speaking about her decision to not continue education after her O-levels, the Princess said: "So many of my contemporaries, when asked why they were going to university, would say, 'Well basically because that’s what you do'."
"And I remember thinking really that doesn’t sound like a very good reason to go university, so I thought I would skip that," she added during her appearance in the ITV documentary, Anne: The Princess Royal at 70.
Mike Tindall
Like Princess Diana, Mike Tindall – who married into the family in 2011 when he wed the Queen's granddaughter, Zara – wasn't a royal at the time of his studies. A keen rugby player at the time, Mike deferred his place at university to play for Bath's rugby squad.
Two years later and Mike had made a real name for himself in the rugby world, going on to make his debut for the England team in 2000 and becoming a regular fixture at both club and international level.
Jack Brooksbank
For Jack Brooksbank – who's now married to Princess Eugenie – going to university wasn't always off the cards. In fact, he started off as a student at Bristol University but dropped out before graduating.
Nevertheless, Jack's had a successful career in the hospitality industry, going on to become an ambassador for George Clooney and Rande Gerber's tequila brand, Casamigos.
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