Princess Alexia of the Netherlands.Photo:Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images
Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images
Princess Alexia of the Netherlands marked a huge milestone in her education in a unique way (if you are not Dutch, that is).
On Thursday, the 18-year-old member of the Dutch royal familyreceived her International Baccalaureate diplomaat the United World College (UWC) of the Atlantic in Wales.
To celebrate, the Royal House of the Netherlands shared a July 10 tweet featuring a video of Princess Alexia proudly raising both the Dutch flag and her school bag up a flag pole amid clear blue skies, then facing the camera smiling and waving her arm.
The social media caption read: “The flag is flying at Huis ten Bosch Palace (the Royal Palace)!"
According to bloggerGert’s Royals: “It is a tradition in the Netherlands that after graduating high school you attach your school bag to the flag pole and raise it up.”
And perInsider: “It’s a satisfying way to show off all that hard work and look back on (or up to) your child’s success and achievements.”
The second daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands,Alexia began her two-year course at UWC Atlantic in August 2021. UWC Atlantic hosts students from around the world and follows an international curriculum that blends education and community service.
She wasn’t the only princess to attend UWC Atlantic that year – Princess Leonor, the heir to the Spanish throne, was also a member of the same class as Alexia.
There are also plenty of royal alumni, from Alexia’s father to Princess Raiyah bint Hussein, daughter of King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan. More recently, the heir to the Belgian thronePrincess Elisabethcompleted her education there beforeenrolling at the Royal Military Academyin Brussels in 2020.
UWC Atlantic also has a secure and beautiful campus that includes the 12th-century St. Donat’s Castle, making it an optimal choice for royal students.
King Charlesalso attended his father’s alma mater but didn’t thrive in the same way. He later called his years at Gordonstoun as “Colditz in kilts” — and sent his own sons,Prince WilliamandPrince Harry, to Eton College.
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Prince Georgemay soon be following in his dad’s footsteps at Eton — last month, the 9-year-old royal was spotted at Eton with his parents, Prince William andKate Middleton. The all-boys boarding school with 1,350 students is just a short drive from the family’s Adelaide Cottage home in Windsor.
Although Eton College students are between the ages of 13 and 18, they must be registered before June 30 of the school year the boy turns 10. Prince George — who currently attendsLambrook Schoolwith his younger siblings,Princess Charlotte, 8, andPrince Louis, 5 — will mark his 10th birthday on July 22.
source: people.com
