Notable royal alumni: King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Princess Raiyah of Jordan, Princess Elisabeth of Belgium. Princess Alexia of The Netherlands and Princess Leonor of Spain are both current students.
Royal classmates: Princess Alexia of The Netherlands, left, and Princess Leonor of Spain, right, are both current students at UWC Atlantic College, in Wales
Princess Alexia of The Netherlands is leaving her home country and heading to Wales to study at UWC Atlantic College, pictured, the Dutch royal family has announce
Old and new: Lessons take place in modern academic blocks built in the 1960s–80s, converted Medieval estate buildings, and the castle itself (pictured, the school’s library)
With school fees for a two-year course costing £67,000, the school has a range of extra-curricular activities on offer, with its website describes it as ‘providing a platform for young individuals to learn through shared experience’ (left, the dining hall, and right, the pool)
The College has a strong tradition of boat design and boat building with members of the ‘seafront service’ required to keep the boathouse clean and tidy
Princess Alexia of The Netherlands and Princess Leonor of Spain have swapped their European palaces for a school housed in a former Welsh castle.
Heir to the Spanish throne Leonor, 16, and Alexia, 17, the second eldest child of the King and Queen of the Netherlands, have both enrolled on a £67,000, two-year course to study for their International Baccalaureate diploma at UWC Atlantic College.
The school offers activities and subjects like Tai Chi and Tibetan literature, leading it to be nicknamed ‘Hippie Hogwarts’.
UWC Atlantic College has a proven track record educating royalty. King Willem-Alexander studied there in the Eighties and Belgian heir to the throne Elisabeth graduated in 2020.
Education at the school is played out in a magical place – a 12th century Castle by the sea – with its own seafront, woodland, farmland and valley.
Atlantic College is located near the town of Llantwit Major on the South Wales coast, overlooking the Bristol Channel. It has been continuously inhabited since it was first built.
St Donat’s Castle is the main building of the College, housing the Tudor Great Hall, the Gothic Dining Hall, the Bradenstoke Hall used for assemblies and performances and an extensive 25,000-book Library.
Students at the school stay in eight purpose-built boarding houses, which accommodate approximately 48 students each.
The modern accommodation houses are named after either ancient Welsh kingdoms or benefactors to the college: Pentti Kouri, Morgannwg, Powys, Whitaker, Gwynedd, Tice and Sunley.
Unlike a conventional full school day of teaching, lessons at UWC begin at 8am and are finished in time for lunch.
The two-year Diploma Programme has two parts: the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) curriculum, and a programme of experiential learning that focuses on key aspects of ‘peace, a sustainable future, and student initiative’.
Core basics at the school include Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English Literature, Geography, History, Mathematics and Physics.
Meanwhile there are also a wide selection of optional courses to choose from, including Design Tech, Visual Arts, Film studies, Music and Global Politics among others.
The College’s literary options range from English and French Literature to Czech, Russian, Tibetan, Swedish and Urdu Literature as well.
Classes take place in modern academic blocks built in the 1960s–80s as well as converted Medieval estate buildings, and the castle itself.
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