Eton is right next to Windsor. In fact, you just causally stroll across the Thames and then you are in Eton. It’s most famous for Eton College, arguably England’s best private school. (Although in England they call private schools “public school” – very confusing!)
Eton College is about 1,500 students (all boys) between the ages of 13-18. It was founded in the 1400s and has produced 19 future Prime Ministers throughout history. That alone seems crazy! The school fees per year are much more than the average annual minimum wage in England, so that’s pretty crazy as well. To be honest, in my humble opinion, it’s not the education that you are paying for, but the prestige and the connections. You can get an extraordinary education elsewhere for the fraction of the cost, but you might not be rubbing shoulder with future lords.
Let’s go through a list of some of their most recognisable alums: Princes William and Harry, Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston, Damian Lewis, Ian Fleming, David Cameron, Bear Grylls, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Dominic West, Boris Johnson, Shelley… The list goes on and on and on.
Besides the gorgeous buildings, there’s also the slightly disconcerting sight of boys and teachers rushing off to classes in tails, waist coats and starched wing-collars; and its reputed traditions and secrets can seem an outdated anachronism, but at least top hats were scrapped from the school uniform in the 1970s.
