I actually think legacy admissions happen in part as a way to encourage alumni to give money to the schools.
That, too, but don’t discount the maintenance of power aspect.
Elizabeth is my 22nd cousin and as part of the royal family I take that very personally.
We were talking Harry.
You are correct, the article I read confused me.
Ah, didn’t realise that because all the other posts were about Andrew.
Harry did go to Sandhurst after Eton, which is one way to the officer route. Though his grades probably wouldn’t have got him entry, even with the extracurriculars he did, if he hadn’t been Prince Harry. Still, both he and Andrew do seem to have been more than competent at their jobs and there’s the definite impression they were happier there than in civilian life.
Harry did meet the relatively low educational requirement for Sandhurst. Selection is a tough four day process which will determine fitness, teamwork, and leadership qualities. Harry had those in spades.
If I recall, both brothers qualified as helicopter pilots - that’s an area where your success is determined by actual ability as physics don’t give a damn about your lineage. They probably enjoyed an accomplishment where their achievement was definitely based on what they actually could do and not who they were.
William seems to have take great satisfaction from working as an air ambulance pilot, perhaps because it’s a job where you definitely save lives (and sometimes can’t, because serious emergencies are like that). Unquestionably that was serving the country, just as any other emergency worker does, and again your success and failure rest on your own ability and skills and not your lineage.
So, while it might be argued that the royal family is “useless” and the institution outmoded and expensive, at least William didn’t just sit on his ass waiting to inherit, he was willing to actually get a job that helped other people. As grandma got older and needed to delegate more he wound up having to give that up for “royal duties”, but that’s probably better for him than an abrupt “your grandma and dad are dead - it’s your turn now. Have fun adapting to your new role!”
I get the impression that even if William and Harry don’t have to work for a living (and even cut off from a royal pension Harry and Meghan have sufficient personal wealth that they won’t starve. They might have to downsize a lot, but they won’t be destitute) they could work for a living if they had to. If the institution of the royal family is discontinued in their lifetimes I expect they’ll adapt. I hope William raises his own kids so they could do the same.
Weirdly I absolutely can’t find what the actual educational requirements for Sandhurst are. All I can find is reddit pages and the like saying “it’s on the army pages, duh,” but if it is, it’s well hidden.
The .gov page only mentions 4 or 5 GCSEs at C or above, which Harry definitely had - almost everyone of his age in the UK does; most of his age would have a lot more than that and a lot of ordinary colleges would refuse to admit someone with only 4 or 5 GCSEs. I assumed that Sandhurst, due to its prestigious status, would have higher requirements, like very good A levels, but maybe not.
Just because it is the minimum requirement doesn’t mean that’s what you need to get in. If there are more people than slots you will have to be well above minimums or have other qualifications that will put you on top. Like being a prince.
Yes, but I assumed the minimum requirement was actually more than that.
Then again, you don’t officially need any qualifications at all to join up as a non-officer, which is a bit shocking TBH.
Not sure why that’s shocking - the army has long been the place to put boys who can’t do anything else. I have a colleague who used to work in army recruitment - the target audience had an educational level equivalent to the average 11 year old.
That is certainly not true in the US Army. Being a recruiter is a very difficult job because they have to put so much time into those that wind up being unqualified. The placement test is just one reason.
It’s interesting to see the role protocol plays in it. I’m maybe wrongfully assuming there are English friends or family that he was closer to but his German grand nephews take up some of the limited space.
Families, eh? They always take precedence over friends, even for us mere mortals.
It would be a bit odd if he didn’t have anyone from his side of the family.
Not so odd when you haven’t lived in the same country with them for over 80 years.
The interesting one to me as someone who doesn’t know the minor royals is Countess Mountbatten. Her husband is the grandson of Philip’s beloved uncle but he’s not invited. From what I’m reading she was very close to Philip and visited him often in his later years.
She’s a good friend of his, they raced carriages together. (She’s not a minor royal).
Not taking spouses to friends’ funerals has, sadly, become a feature of funerals in the UK in the last 12 months. With restrictions on numbers, everyone is having to make hard choices. My family had to do the same at my MIL’s funeral, where friends left their partners behind.
Also I believe the Earl may be himself infirm.