For much of royal history, university was hardly part of the job description. Future monarchs were more likely to be educated by private tutors, sent to military academies, or prepared directly for public duties. King Charles III helped change that in Britain when he became the first British heir apparent to earn a university degree. Today, the situation looks very different. Kings, queens, princes and princesses have studied everything from archaeology and political science to psychology, economics and physiotherapy. Some even met their future spouses along the way.
King Charles III — History
Charles entered Trinity College, Cambridge in 1967, initially studying archaeology and anthropology before switching to history. He graduated with a BA in 1970, becoming the first British heir apparent to earn a university degree; in accordance with Cambridge tradition, it was later promoted to an MA.
Prince William — Geography
William arrived at the University of St Andrews intending to study art history, but eventually switched his focus to geography. He graduated in 2005 with a 2:1 Master of Arts (Honours), the traditional undergraduate degree awarded by Scotland’s ancient universities.
Catherine, Princess of Wales — History of Art
Kate Middleton was studying history of art at St Andrews when she met her future husband. She graduated in 2005 with a 2:1 and has continued to show an interest in visual art, photography and museums throughout her royal life.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex — Theatre and International Studies
Long before Suits and royal life, Meghan Markle attended Northwestern University in Illinois. She double-majored in theatre and international studies, a combination that looks remarkably appropriate considering where her career eventually took her.
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh — History
Edward followed his older brother Charles to Cambridge, although he chose Jesus College. He studied history and graduated in 1986 before moving into theatre and television production.
Princess Beatrice — History and History of Ideas
Princess Beatrice attended Goldsmiths, University of London, where she studied history and the history of ideas. She graduated with a 2:1 in 2011 while continuing to live in London rather than moving into traditional student accommodation.
Princess Eugenie — English Literature and History of Art
Beatrice’s younger sister headed farther north, enrolling at Newcastle University in 2009. Eugenie studied a combination that included art history, English literature and politics before graduating in 2012 with a degree centered on English literature and art history.
Peter Phillips — Exercise and Sport Sciences
Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips studied at the University of Exeter, graduating in Exercise and Sport Sciences in 2000. His university life included plenty of actual sport as well: he played rugby while studying there.
Zara Tindall — Physiotherapy
Zara followed her older brother to Exeter, although her studies were much closer to the world that would eventually make her an Olympic medalist. She qualified in physiotherapy with an equine focus before building her career as one of Britain’s most accomplished competitive riders.
King Felipe VI of Spain — Law and International Relations
Felipe completed a law degree at the Autonomous University of Madrid while also studying economics-related subjects. He then crossed the Atlantic for a master’s in international relations at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, graduating in 1995.
Queen Letizia of Spain — Journalism
Before marrying into the Spanish royal family, Letizia Ortiz was already an established television journalist. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid and followed it with a master’s in audiovisual journalism.
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands — History
After completing military service, Willem-Alexander enrolled at Leiden University in 1987. He earned his history degree in 1993 after studying subjects ranging from economic history and political science to constitutional and international law.
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands — Economics
Argentina-born Máxima Zorreguieta studied economics at the Universidad Católica Argentina in Buenos Aires. She graduated in 1995 and went on to work in finance in Argentina and New York years before becoming Queen of the Netherlands.
King Frederik X of Denmark — Political Science
Frederik earned an MSc in political science from Aarhus University in 1995. Part of that education took him to Harvard, where he spent the 1992–93 academic year studying political science and international relations.
Queen Mary of Denmark — Commerce and Law
Queen Mary had already completed an unusually practical academic combination before meeting Frederik. The Australian-born future queen graduated from the University of Tasmania in 1994 with bachelor’s degrees in commerce and law.
Crown Prince Haakon of Norway — Political Science and Development Studies
Norway’s future king studied political science at the University of California, Berkeley, receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1999. He later added a master’s in development studies from the London School of Economics, where he specialized in international trade and Africa.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway — Management
Mette-Marit’s university path was considerably less conventional, involving courses at several institutions over a number of years. She eventually completed a Master of Management at BI Norwegian Business School in 2012 while already serving as crown princess.
King Philippe of Belgium — Political Science
Philippe combined military education with academic study abroad. After spending a trimester at Oxford, he studied for two years at Stanford University and earned a master’s degree in political science before returning to Belgium in 1985.
Queen Mathilde of Belgium — Psychology
Mathilde first trained in speech therapy and actually worked as a speech therapist from 1995 to 1999. She continued her education after marrying Philippe and earned a master’s degree in psychology from the Université catholique de Louvain in 2002.
Princess Elisabeth of Belgium — History and Politics
The heir to the Belgian throne graduated from Oxford University’s Lincoln College in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in History and Politics. She has since continued her education at Harvard Kennedy School, where she is studying public policy.
Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg — Arts and Political Science
Luxembourg’s current head of state studied international politics in Britain before continuing his education in France. He graduated with honours from the University of Angers in 2009 with a double degree in arts and political science.
Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg — Germanic Philology
Stéphanie studied Germanic philology at the Catholic University of Louvain, graduating with honours. Her thesis work took her to Berlin’s Humboldt University, where she examined the influence of German Romanticism on Russian writers including Pushkin.
King Abdullah II of Jordan — International Affairs
Abdullah’s education is often associated with Britain’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, but he also holds a university postgraduate degree. Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service says the future king earned a master’s in international affairs there in 1987.
Queen Rania of Jordan — Business Administration
Rania Al-Yassin was pursuing a very different future before marrying into Jordan’s royal family. She graduated from the American University in Cairo in 1991 with a degree in business administration and a minor in psychology, then worked in banking and for Apple in Jordan.
Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan — International History
Hussein followed his father’s connection to Georgetown, graduating from the university in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in international history. The following year he completed military training at Sandhurst, giving Jordan’s future king both academic and military credentials.
