# Any royals with (non-honorary) graduate degrees? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 29, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288 "2018-11-29T19:13:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/1 "2018-11-29T19:13:56Z")
In [another thread of mine about Elizabeth II’s honorary doctorates](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=21348574), **senoy** remarked upon the Queen’s embarrassment at her lack of formal education. This got me thinking, do any members of the British royal family have formal education over and above an undergraduate degree? That is, are there any with real doctorates or even a real Master’s degree? (By “real” I mean that the degree was conferred after formally enrolling in a program that required coursework, research, a thesis, and/or examinations. This discounts honorary doctorates and the Master’s degrees that Oxbridge hand out like free candy to former students.) I browsed through the first dozen or so entries in Wikipedia’s [line of succession to the British throne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_to_the_British_throne#Current_line_of_succession) but so far it looks like everyone has at most a B.A. or B.Sc. (Charles has a free-candy M.A. from Cambridge, which doesn’t count for the purposes of this question.) How far down the list do I need to go before I find someone with a real Master’s degree? How about a doctorate? If there aren’t any on the list, then how about the royal families of other countries? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/2 "2018-11-29T19:22:21Z")
Brian May was _in_ Queen; does that count as a royal? ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/3 "2018-11-29T19:48:28Z")
The Swedish and Thai royal families are pretty well educated. The eldest daughter of the King of Thailand has a master’s in public health from UCLA; her sister has a masters in Sanskrit and Pali. Another Thai princess has a B.S. in mathematics. Prince Pavlos of Greece has a master’s in International relations law and organization. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/4 "2018-11-29T19:51:17Z")
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has a law degree > **[Beatrix of the Netherlands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrix_of_the_Netherlands)** > > Princess Beatrix \* > Princess Margriet \*Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven \* > Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, Dutch pronunciation: \[ˈbeːjaːtrɪks ˌʋɪlɦɛlˈminaː ˈʔɑr(ə)mɡɑrt\] (listen); born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in 2013. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/5 "2018-11-29T20:10:09Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > The Swedish and Thai royal families are pretty well educated. The eldest daughter of the King of Thailand has a master’s in public health from UCLA; her sister has a masters in Sanskrit and Pali. Another Thai princess has a B.S. in mathematics. Prince Pavlos of Greece has a master’s in International relations law and organization. One Thai princess was in my class at MIT. I don’t know if she went on to get an advanced degree, but I do know she married a Westerner and renounced her royal position. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/6 "2018-11-29T20:17:12Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has a law degree > > [Beatrix of the Netherlands - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrix_of_the_Netherlands) I think in some countries law is studied at the undergraduate level (unlike the US). I can’t tell if her law degree was undergrad or grad school level. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/7 "2018-11-29T20:18:56Z")
[Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Richard,_Duke_of_Gloucester) (who is 26th in line to the throne) was an architect and went through the regular academic path for his degree. He worked as a partner in an architectural firm before his older brother died and made him the heir to the family title. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/8 "2018-11-29T20:20:26Z")
Woodrow Wilson had a PhD. I wonder how many other world leaders have/had that level of degree . I know lots have law degrees. also the King of the Netherlands is a pilot for KLM airlines for 22 years. He has continued to fly for them after being named king in 2013. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/9 "2018-11-29T20:52:57Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Woodrow Wilson had a PhD. I wonder how many other world leaders have/had that level of degree . Angela Merkel has a doctorate in quantum chemistry. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/10 "2018-11-29T21:03:25Z")
Please let’s not get into a discussion of non-royal world leaders and their degrees. I’m interested specifically in ruling dynasties. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/11 "2018-11-29T21:03:54Z")
I was in grad school with some members of the Saudi royal family getting Masters. One I knew fairly well. Went back to become head of IT or some such for the country. Not the best candidate, IMHO. Of course being a member of the Saudi royal family isn’t as exclusive as many others. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/12 "2018-11-29T21:06:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Richard,_Duke_of_Gloucester) (who is 26th in line to the throne) was an architect and went through the regular academic path for his degree. He worked as a partner in an architectural firm before his older brother died and made him the heir to the family title. I see that his M.A. is a candy degree, but it looks like his architectural Diploma from Cambridge is legitimate. Wikipedia suggests that this is equivalent to a real Master’s degree. Unless anyone can come up with someone earlier in the line of succession, it looks like we have a winner in the Master’s category. Anyone know of a British royal Doctor? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/13 "2018-11-29T21:21:18Z")
King Willem-Alexander has a Masters in History. Crown Prince Fredrick has his in Political Science. Crown Prince Haakon has one in Developmental Studies (i.e. International Development) from the London School of Economics. King Felipe has one in Foreign Service from Georgetown ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/14 "2018-11-29T22:02:00Z")
Didn’t Emperor Hirohito have a Marine Biology Degree? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/15 "2018-11-29T22:21:38Z")
[Mohammed VI, the current King of Morocco,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_VI_of_Morocco) has a 1993 Ph.D. in law from a French university. With distinction, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/16 "2018-11-29T22:27:59Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Didn’t Emperor Hirohito have a Marine Biology Degree? Not AFAICT? He seems to have gone in for military training after his secondary education. His grandson [Crown Prince Naruhito](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naruhito,_Crown_Prince_of_Japan) has a master’s degree in history, though. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/17 "2018-11-29T22:35:05Z")
Japanese Emperor Akihito is a published researcher in ichthyology. If I recall correctly he is an expert on gobies. Not sure if he has a real degree or an honorary one, but either way, he has apparently been a real scientist. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/18 "2018-11-29T23:49:17Z")
HRH Princess Nisreen El-Hashemite, M.D., Ph.D., is a geneticist and the granddaughter of Faisal I, King of Syria and Iraq. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/19 "2018-11-30T00:16:33Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Japanese Emperor Akihito is a published researcher in ichthyology. If I recall correctly he is an expert on gobies. Not sure if he has a real degree or an honorary one, but either way, he has apparently been a real scientist. His most recently published paper was in [2016](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378111915012226?via%3Dihub). ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288/20 "2018-11-30T00:51:36Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > I see that his M.A. is a candy degree, but it looks like his architectural Diploma from Cambridge is legitimate. Wikipedia suggests that this is equivalent to a real Master’s degree. Unless anyone can come up with someone earlier in the line of succession, it looks like we have a winner in the Master’s category Yup. The Cambridge diploma in architecture was a postgraduate diploma; you had to have a BA or equivalent to enroll, and there was then a two-year course leading up to the diploma. It’s no longer offered; it has been replaced by the M Phil in Architecture and Urban Design. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-royals-with-non-honorary-graduate-degrees/825288.md?page=2)