Inside medieval castle transformed into £33k-a-year school for princes and princesses

St Donats Castle
St Donats Castle (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

A medieval castle in Wales has been transformed into a private school attended by princes and princesses, children of millionaires and refugees.

Many of the students at Atlantic College in St Donats Castle in the Vale of Glamorgan pay £33,500-a-year for the privilege of being there and brushing shoulders with royalty.

But half of the students come from humbler backgrounds and are admitted through scholarships, reports Wales Online.

Among the royal students attending the college is Royal Highness Princess Alexia of the Netherlands who moved to Wales to pursue her International Baccalaureate (IB).

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium is a graduate and alumni include Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Crown Princess Raiyah of Jordan.

The castle was donated to the founding committee of the Atlantic College in 1960 and helped create the IB.

The earliest parts of the castle were built in the 12th century by the De Hawey family – and it has been lived in ever since, making it the longest continually inhabited castle in Wales.

By the late 1200s, the castle was owned by the distinguished Stradling family and it became more of a country house inside a heavily fortified castle.

Full story and photos on Mirror.com

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