Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, 43, recently shared memories of his school days playing rugby alongside Prince William at Eton College. The two were in the same year at the prestigious school, which they attended between 1995 and 2000.
Eddie recalled feeling sorry for the future king during their rugby matches. Speaking on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2018, he said, “I did play rugby with Prince William. I always felt a bit sorry for him because basically, any school you played, all they wanted to do was tackle Prince William. So if you were standing next to Prince William, like I was, it was actually quite easy and quite fun.”
He had previously told Glamour magazine in 2015, “We were on the same rugby team at Eton College. He’s a wonderful man. I always felt slightly sorry for him because everyone wanted to tackle the future king of England. He took all the hits.”
Eddie also shared an amusing anecdote from the time he received his OBE. He described walking through Windsor Castle, feeling slightly out of place among extraordinary people who had accomplished remarkable feats. Upon entering a grand room, complete with a string quartet, he was surprised to hear the group playing Coldplay’s When You Rule the World. “I thought, that’s appropriate,” he laughed.
Their connection at Eton extended beyond the rugby field. In their final year, both Eddie and William served as prefects. The pair were last photographed together at a polo match in 2015, though it’s unclear how close they remain today, 25 years after leaving school.
Eddie’s time at Eton may have also overlapped briefly with Prince Harry, who joined the school in 1998. The Duke of Sussex, like his brother, was passionate about rugby, describing the sport in his memoir Spare as an outlet for his “rage.”