Why Prince George is going to Eton, and what it says about his future as king

Analysis: The beginning of secondary school is a milestone in any child’s life, but when you’re the future king of England, the move is even more significant.

Prince George of Wales will start at Eton College in September, weeks after his 13th birthday on July 22, Kensington Palace has confirmed.

The announcement from the Prince and Princess of Wales put to bed rumours of numerous other schools that had been linked to the young prince as he prepares to finish at Lambrook School, where he attends with his siblings Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight.

Eton had always been a frontrunner in the list of potential high schools for George, with its name linked to the prince basically since his birth.

But the reason Prince William and Catherine eventually chose Eton over other elite schools − such as the princess’ alma mater Marlborough College − points to the college’s past role in sheltering and shaping the Prince of Wales during one of the darkest chapters of his life.

For his first day there on September 6, 1995, Prince William was accompanied by his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, then-Prince Charles, and Prince Harry.

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William thrived academically at Eton and became captain of the swimming and water polo teams. He was elected into an exclusive society, known as Pop, in his senior years − a role one former classmate described as a “homecoming-king type”.

Crucially, though, Eton became a haven for William during a time of turmoil in his formative teen years. He began there during the middle of his parents’ divorce, which was finalised a year later.

As Charles and Diana’s very public feud played out in the media, William buried himself in his schoolwork and among his friends at Manor House, where he boarded.

William found sanctuary within Eton, and his tight circle of mates, when Diana was killed in a car accident soon after in 1997. The tragedy happened during the summer break and the prince received hundreds of messages of condolences from fellow Etonians in the days after. But when he returned to school weeks later, he was allowed to carry on with most of the other pupils leaving him alone.

At school, William wasn’t given special treatment – something which would have appealed to the shy teen who, at the time, was second in line to the throne.

A former student, who attended alongside the prince from 1995 to 2000, said, “He was popular, but he was also just one of the crowd”.

“We weren’t in awe of William, and I don’t think he would have wanted us to be,” he told The Telegraph UK.

“You have to remember that at Eton, he never stood out that much – there were boys from even richer families than his.”

Prince Harry followed three years later, in 1998. Both princes boarded at Manor House, on the campus. In Harry’s memoir Spare, he described Eton as both the “finest school in the world” and a “profound shock”. Harry struggled academically and said the college was “heaven for brilliant boys, it could thus only be purgatory for one very unbrilliant boy”.

Harry wrote that his brother initially warned him to pretend they did not know each other, but in the book Battle of Brothers royal biographer Robert Lacey said it was William who “insisted that his brother would be happiest joining him at Eton” when Diana and Charles hesitated about sending Harry there.

When William graduated, he said he would miss the school “very much”.

“I’ll miss my friends and Dr Gailey [his housemaster] who has been a tremendous support to me. And I’ve really enjoyed being able to go about Eton as just another student.”

At Eton, William forged lifelong friendships who have become key members of his tight inner circle to this day.

William knows George will need bonds like these, too, when he’s older and facing the very unique, and often lonely, role as head of state.

Although he will board inside Manor House, where his father and uncle lived, George won’t be sleeping inside a shared dormitory. All boys are given private rooms, with private bathrooms, and the prince’s personal protection officers will be close by at all times. The yearly boarding fees cost more than $120,000.

Eton’s location near Windsor will help the young prince adjust to life outside. Although the students are boarders, they sleep in different dorms located around the small town and frequently walk its streets.

Prince William used to pop into Windsor Castle for tea with his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II when he had spare time.

“She had the best teas ever. I used to get well fed,” William told a television documentary recently.

“I’d come around to have a chat with her and see how she was and just sort of check in and see how she was doing.”

Although Prince George occasionally attends royal events with his parents, such as Trooping the Colour at the weekend, his focus for the years ahead will be academic.

William and Catherine are also keen to give their son the time and space to be a teenager, while he can.

Since Prince George’s birth in 2013, his parents have strived to give him a sense of normalcy as much as possible growing up within the confines of the royal family,

“I think George will get less special treatment there than he would at any other school,” educational consultant and the founder of Keystone Tutors, Will Orr-Ewing, told The Telegraph UK.

“On the whole at Eton, your status tends to derive from your sports or drama ability, or if you are a scholar or a brilliant debater. The fact that he is a prince will be fairly unimportant.”

The large size of the campus will allow the prince to be “a bit more anonymous there”, Melanie Sanderson, Managing Editor of The Good Schools Guide, told The Times.

Prince William and Catherine have also focused on the importance of family time and have committed themselves to doing the school run, where possible.

The all-boys institution is close to the Wales’ home and will allow George the flexibility to go home at weekends, when needed.

“Prince William and Princess Catherine present themselves as a tight-knit family with their children and I think the proximity to their home comes into it; you can see Eton College from Windsor Castle,” Sanderson added.

William’s fond memories of Eton will no doubt have played a major role in his and Catherine’s decision to send their son there.

When William was enrolled at the college in the 1990s, it was seen as a departure from royal tradition. King Charles, Prince Philip, Prince Edward and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor all attended Gordonstoun in Scotland.

Eton was founded by King Henry VI in 1440 and has long had close ties to the British monarchy throughout its 600-year history. The late queen used to walk there from Windsor Castle to study history once a week.

By attending Eton, Prince George is not only following in the footsteps of his father and uncle but Diana’s family. Princess Diana’s father and brother also attended the school.

Eton also has a long history in producing top statesmen, of which George will ultimately become when he ascends the throne.

Twenty British prime minister are ‘old boys’ of Eton, along with other members of the House of Windsor including the Duke of Kent, the Duke of Gloucester, and Lord Frederick Windsor.

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There were other international royals too, including Japan’s Prince Tokugawa Iesato of Japan, Leopold III of Belgium, Aga Khan III, Prince Nicholas of Romania, and the former Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal who killed his parents before taking his own life in 2001.

A number of British entertainment greats are also past students: actors Damian Lewis, Eddie Redmayne, Hugh Laurie, Dominic West, and Tom Hiddleston.

Famous authors including Ian Fleming, George Orwell and Aldous Huxley also attended Eton.

While the school is renowned for its tough academic standards, sport is also a key focus while is likely to have appealed to the Princess of Wales who is passionate about the outdoors.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, via Kensington Palace, confirmed George’s future attendance at Eton on Monday without giving away his start date.

“Kensington Palace can confirm that Prince George will attend Eton College from this September.”

He is likely to start in the first week of September, attending orientation day with his parents the day before the rest of the student body begins.

The move will see Prince George separated from Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who will remain at Lambrook in Berkshire, where they have been educated together since 2022.

Although Prince William and Catherine had been seen visiting other schools in recent years, including Marlborough, Oundle and day schools in London, Eton was always the likely choice for the future king.

Prince William and Catherine have proven they are modern parents raising their children within a 1200-year-old institution where tradition still matters.

By choosing to keep Prince George close to their so-called forever home, Forest Lodge, they are ensuring he gets the education fit for a future king but one that will keep him firmly within reach of the family dinner table.

“Getting the balance of work and family life right is really important,” Prince William told Canadian actor Eugene Levy in 2025.

“Because for me, the most important thing in my life is family, and everything is about the future. If you don’t start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you’re setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall.

“And so, it’s about making sure that we can look after our families, look after our children, in a way that is best for their future. You have to have that warmth, that feeling of safety, security, love. That all has to be there, and that was certainly part of my childhood.”