Eton College wrestles with change in a more modern UK

Many welcome its evolution, but others not at all

ETON, England — At Eton College — the boarding school in the British countryside that has educated princes and 20 prime ministers — students wear tailcoats and white ties to classes. But some have worn waistcoats with the symbol of Black History Month underneath.

The students still sleep in ivycovered stone dormitory buildings, some dating to the 18th century. Some of them have rainbow pride flags fluttering from them. It’s an all-boys school, but there also is a feminism society and a celebration of International

Women’s Day.

“They’re on the right track,” said Alasdair Campbell, a 19year-old recent graduate.

"Horrible," said Felix Kirkby, 21, another of its alumni. "It's destroying its reputation."

Eton, which was founded in 1440 and teaches boys ages 13 to 18, has long been a symbol of British tradition and continuity, with its campus in the shadow of Windsor Castle, its elitist quirks, and its expensive tuition.

But in a Britain that is more racially diverse, more open to questions about gender identity and economic inequality, and increasingly rejecting the aristocratic legacy of a white-dominated empire, Eton, too, is changing. Many students and alumni have welcomed its evolution. Some have not. Others argue that Eton needs an even more profound overhaul to remain relevant in present-day Britain.

Navigating the tightrope between past and present is Simon Henderson, who eight years ago became, at 39, the youngest headmaster in Eton’s history.

Henderson, an Oxford graduate who taught history at Eton, has broadened access to scholarships — tuition is about 45,000 pounds, or $57,000, a year — and just last month, he announced an expansion of his previous initiative to partner with state schools in poorer areas of the north.

He has promoted discussions about masculinity, sexism, and gender identity, celebrated Black and LGBTQ+ history months, and appointed a “director of inclusion education” to address issues around race and sexuality. He sacked a professor who refused to take down a video he had posted on YouTube in which he had argued that patriarchy was partly caused by women’s choices because it benefits them.

Some of these moves have brought Henderson a nickname as “Trendy Hendy” and criticism as a “woke” activist, while his firing of the professor ignited a debate over free speech on campus.

Henderson sees himself as a cautious modernizer, trying to both uphold Eton’s heritage and promote change.

“Eton is not immune from the broader society in which we sit,” said Henderson, wearing the school’s trademark white bow tie and cuff links with its coat of arms, in a recent interview in his office. “There are moments in an institution’s path where it needs to step forward a bit more firmly,” he said. “And this is one of those moments.”

He dismissed accusations that he wants to dismantle the school’s traditions as a “myth” but admitted, “I know some people might feel the pace of change has been quick.”

Henry VI founded Eton as a school for children of the poor, but over time, it became a bastion for the offspring of the rich and powerful, almost by birthright. The Prince of Wales and his brother, Harry, are alumni. George Orwell was a graduate, as was John Maynard Keynes and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Political leaders who followed an Eton College-Oxford University pipeline into Parliament have been accused of carrying into politics the entitlement and nonchalance they learned there, and for being out of touch with Britain’s reality.

In recent years, Eton has admitted more sons of international money — fewer viscounts and more investment bankers — as well as more children from less affluent families. Still, at least 75 percent of the students pay the full fee.

The school has also become more academically selective and demanding, but in a more competitive educational environment, fewer Eton students are being admitted to Oxford or Cambridge than in past years. Henderson said some were now getting into Ivy League colleges in the United States instead.

Campbell said he supported Henderson’s efforts. He said that, for him, the conferences on issues of race, gender, and privilege were eye-opening.

It was time for the school’s elitist allure to go, he said.