Teacher's Death at Kate Middleton's Former School Comes After Firing for Inappropriate Behavior
- - Teacher's Death at Kate Middleton's Former School Comes After Firing for Inappropriate Behavior
Becca LongmireNovember 17, 2025 at 11:41 PM
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Kate Middleton; a photo of Marlborough College in Wiltshire, U.K. -
A former physics teacher at Marlborough College, Kate Middleton's alma mater, died by suicide after reportedly being fired for inappropriate conduct
John Wright reportedly was dismissed over the summer following an internal investigation
The news comes as 12-year-old Prince George's decision over his next school looms
A teacher at Kate Middleton's former school has died after reportedly being fired for "inappropriate conduct," according to a report.
John Wright, who was a physics teacher at Marlborough College — a prestigious school in Wiltshire, England, that was previously attended by Princess Kate, as well as her siblings Pippa and James Middleton, and Princess Eugenie — died by suicide and was found deceased by his wife at their family home on Nov. 3, per U.K. newspaper The Times.
It's understood that Wright, 54, who reportedly worked at the school for 10 years, was let go from his job following inappropriate behavior during an annual 17-day spring break exchange trip to Marlborough's sister school in Malaysia, according to the Daily Mail. The trip was attended by 29 pupils.
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A photo of Marlborough College in Wiltshire, U.K.
Wright — who lived with his wife, Rachel, and their two children just a 10-minute walk from the U.K. school — was reportedly dismissed over the summer following an internal investigation, the Daily Mail reported. An appeal by Wright regarding the outcome of the investigation was reportedly previously unsuccessful.
The Wiltshire and Swindon Coroners Office confirmed in an email to PEOPLE that an inquest into Wright's death had been opened on Nov. 7 and "has been adjourned to a date yet to be fixed." The coroner said the final cause of death was subject to completion of the inquest but was being listed as injuries consistent with hanging.
A Wiltshire Police spokesperson said in an email to PEOPLE, "At approximately 6 p.m. [local time] on November 3 we were called to the sudden death of a man in his 50s at an address in Cherry Orchard, Marlborough. There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death."
Marlborough College provided the following statement to PEOPLE when reached for comment: "The College offers its heartfelt condolences to John Wright’s family on his very sad passing. Our thoughts are with them, as well as John's friends and others in the Marlborough community who will have been affected. It would be inappropriate to comment further."
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A photo of Marlborough College in Wiltshire, U.K.
A source told the Daily Mail of Wright's alleged firing, "It's not quite clear to us what John was sacked for, but it hit him really hard."
"This is all part of a stricter safeguarding regime at Marlborough, and staff are genuinely concerned about their careers and there is a sense of mistrust and fear amongst them. They are horrified at what's happened because John was an outstanding physics teacher," the source told the paper.
Marlborough College Malaysia didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.
Princess Kate previously attended Marlborough College between 1996 and 2000, before she headed to St. Andrews University, where she met her now-husband, Prince William.
It was previously suggested that Prince George, 12, might be attending Marlborough College, like his mother. It's also been reported that he could follow in dad Prince William's footsteps and attend Eton College instead.
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Kate Middleton
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The future king is currently attending Lambrook School in Berkshire, but he will be moving to a new school as of September 2026.
Marlborough College was founded in 1843 and "is the U.K.’s largest co-educational full boarding school, educating just over 1,000 pupils, aged 13 to 18 years, from the U.K. and overseas," per the school's website. According to The Times, it costs over $79,000 a year for boarders to attend.
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