Prince William and Kate keen to 'break tradition' with Prince George's new school

The Prince and Princess of Wales are "leaning in favour of breaking tradition" when it comes to choosing Prince George's new school.

Kensington Palace has not yet announced which school Prince George will move to when the new school year begins in September.

Prince William and Catherine are expected to announce their son's school of choice as close to his start date as possible, to lessen the attention on the facility and its other pupils.

The two main frontrunners are Eton, in Windsor, and Marlborough College, in Berkshire.

Both have connections with the royal family. Eton is where Prince William and Prince Harry attended during their teenage years.

And Marlborough College is where the Princess of Wales went from 1996 until 2000 and where she obtained her A-Levels in Maths, Art and English. She was also captain of the women's field hockey team.

Kate's sister Pippa and her brother James were past students there, as was Princess Eugenie.

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In a piece for Vanity Fair, royal commentator Katie Nicholl writes that Marlborough College "is now the Prince and Princess of Wales's preferred choice for George".

A source told the publication Marlborough had edged ahead of Eton, even though Eton, the "obvious choice", is much closer to the Wales' family home in Windsor.

The Wales family now live in Forest Lodge, an eight-bedroom Grade II-listed property in Windsor Great Park, which they moved into in late November.

However, it is claimed Prince William and Kate are yet to decide where to send their eldest son, and heir.

The Princess of Wales has been seen visiting various schools sparking speculation about where George will eventually end up.

In October, 2023, Kate was seen visiting Marlborough.

And early last year, the princess was spotted visiting several others in London, including University College School in Hampstead and Highgate School nearby.

Eton is a boys-only school, while Marlborough College is co-educational.

If George attends Marlborough College, he could be joined by his two siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in the coming years, adding to its appeal to William and Kate.

The three Wales children currently attend Lambrook School.

Marlborough would also be a break in royal tradition as both King Charles and Prince William went to male-only schools.

Nicholl writes that "both the prince and princess are keen for George to board, believing it will give him a sense of independence".

But the biggest issue when it comes to making the final decision will be security.

The young prince, who will turn 13 on July 22, will be protected by round-the-clock armed officers as his father and uncle were during their school years.

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