Rolle is a small Switzerland town, located on the shore of Lake Geneva. At first glance it looks like another quiet mountain town, but for the world’s utmost elite class, it is a very familiar place.
Rolle hosts Institut Le Rosey, a private boarding school that was established by Paul-Emile Carnal in 1880. It is considered one of the most prestigious schools in the world and it is sometimes referred to as the “school of kings”. Apart from throne heirs and royalty members, the school attracts the children of the international jet set, the sons and daughters of business and industrial tycoons, world leaders and legendary celebrities.
Le Rosey's Facilities and Activities
The reception of the school is located in Chateau du Rosey, a chateau that goes back to Middle Ages. Le Rosey’s campus takes over 28 hectares and offers a big variety of academic, sports and arts facilities. In the winter, the school’s students and academic staff move to the school’s second campus, a ski resort in Gstaad.
The school has a 10% quota on the nationality of entrants. This means that at any given time, no more than 10% of the students may come from one country or one language group. All lessons are bilingual and student life includes lessons as much as sports, arts and community service. These are not just the common theater and basketball activities offered in the peasants’ schools, but anything from airplane flying lessons, sailing and karting to mountain expeditions and weekend visits to other countries. The school encourages students to participate in humanitarian projects such as the Habitat for Humanity and missions in India and Mali.
The annual fee starts at $82000, but uniforms, insurance, books, transport, exams and activities that are both optional and mandatory are paid extra.
Famous Alumni of Le Rosey
So it is no surprise that the schools’ history boasts some of the world most well-known names. The royal family of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty of Egypt, the House of Glücksburg of Greece, and the House of Savoy of Italy. Royal members and leaders such as the Shah of Iran, Prince Rainier of Monaco, King Albert II of Belgium, the Aga Khan IV and the Harrods late heir Dodi Al-Fayed. Dynasties like the Rothchilds, Niarchos, Benetton, and the Rockefellers. Children and grandchildren of legends like Onassis and Churchill. And finally, the children of artists like Elizabeth Taylor, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Roger Moore and Diana Ross.
With them, one might find children of notorious oligarchs and arms dealers. According to Philippe Gudin, the general director of the school in an interview to Edmund F. Brown, IV, “We do not put the sins of the parents or the family on the child. We don’t care what the parents did or do. As long as the parents share the vision and values of Le Rosey, and what we are trying to do, their child is welcome.”
Sources:
History of Le Rosey
Dimitra Rizou - Dimitra Rizou has studied English and Journalism. She lives in London.
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