Prince Harry started at Eton in September 1998, where he faced a difficult and isolating experience due to his older brother Prince William's actions.
In his memoir Spare, the 39-year-old Duke of Sussex recounts feeling abandoned by William, who prioritized maintaining his social circle at the prestigious school over acknowledging Harry. Despite being only two years apart, the brothers' time at Eton was marked by William's desire to distance himself from Harry, leaving the younger prince to struggle on his own.
Harry revealed that when he sought William's help, feeling overwhelmed, his brother dismissed him. Teachers had assured Harry that William would support him, but when Harry finally approached him, William told him to pretend they didn't know each other.
“Willy told me to pretend I didn’t know him,” Harry wrote. “‘You don’t know me, Harold. And I don't know you.’” This rejection left Harry feeling isolated and alone, as William was intent on preserving his own social life without the burden of his younger brother.
For William, Eton had been a sanctuary free from a pestering sibling. “For the last two years, he explained, Eton had been his sanctuary. No kid brother tagging along, pestering him with questions, pushing up on his social circle. He was forging his own life, and he wasn’t willing to give that up,” Harry wrote.
Harry’s time at Eton was further marred by a cheating scandal in which he was nicknamed ‘Prince Thicko’ by classmates. Accused of cheating on an art project, Harry was later cleared by the school board, but Buckingham Palace prevented him from defending himself publicly. “Never complain, never explain,” Harry quoted in his memoir. “I was forced to sit by and say nothing while the papers called me a cheat,” he added, questioning how one could "cheat" on an art project.
Despite these challenges, Harry thrived in sports, becoming House Captain of Games and representing Eton in rugby, cricket, and polo. He completed his time at Eton in 2003, earning 11 GCSEs and two A-Levels, a B in Art and a D in Geography.
