Prince William's Return to School an "Insult" to Upset Cambridge University Students

Royal will partake in a 10-week course in agricultural management

By Jordana Ossad Jan 03, 2014 4:28 PMTags
Prince WilliamREX USA/Rex

Some Cambridge University students are not-so-happy about their future famous classmate, Prince William.

The school's newspaper The Tab, is quick to point out that the 31-year-old royal's marks from his A-level studies at Eton are not up to par with the university's standards.

"The Tab must point out that normally students need A*AA at A-level to gain entry to Cambridge University, whilst the Prince only achieved a mediocre ABC," the writer Will Heilpern states. "Conveniently though for Will, he is the registered benefactor of the department he will be studying at."

Melissa Berrill, who recently graduated from Cambridge, wrote about her frustration on the matter for The Guardian. The disgruntled former student says that the Duke of Cambridge's admission to her alma mater is "surprising" and she personally feels "ashamed."

"I can no longer insist that 'it's not like the old days any more', because the heir to the throne is about to be let in for no other reason than who his father is," Berrill explains. "I can no longer claim that class has nothing to do with admissions, because the third-highest-ranking person in the country is being allowed to duck the entry requirements because he needs training to look after the Duchy of Cornwall—that is, preparation to be the second-highest-ranking person in the country," she adds.

Berrill also expressed that William's future at Cambridge is simply put, an "insult."

"It's an insult to every student whose A-levels and degree are the same or better than his, and who didn't get a free pass to Cambridge in spite of them," Berrill writes. "And it's an insult to everyone in the country who needs skills or training, and hasn't had a university course personally designed for them."

Kensington Palace announced on Dec. 30. that Kate Middleton's husband will partake in a 10-week course in agricultural management organized by the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership.

The executive education program of seminars, lectures and meetings "will draw on the strengths of academics across the university," according to a palace press release. It will start in early January and run until mid-March.

The course has been designed help provide Prince George's dad with "an understanding of contemporary issues affecting agricultural business and rural communities in the United Kingdom."