Warning signs erected around Eton ahead of Prince George’s first day of high school
Updated . First published at
New warning signs have been erected on fences around Eton College as the town prepares to welcome Prince George next month.
The 13-year-old prince will begin at the prestigious school in early September after he returns from a summer holiday with his family.
Prince George will start at Eton College in early September and “no photography” warning signs have been spotted on fences close to the campus. Prince and Princess of Wales
Freshly installed “no photography” signs have been spotted on fences around the all-boys boarding school near Windsor ahead of the royal’s arrival, according to reports in the British press.
They have been put up to warn visitors to the popular tourist town to respect the privacy of the students, royal or not.
The school’s campus is spread throughout the small town of Eton and pupils are regularly seen walking around making their way to and from classes.
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, earlier this year.
In June, the Prince and Princess of Wales confirmed their eldest son would soon begin at Eton College.
The announcement from Kensington Palace came after rumours of numerous other schools that had been linked to the young prince as he prepared to finish at Lambrook School, where he attended with his siblings Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight.
Prince George’s first day is expected to be very different from when his father Prince William started there 30 years ago.
The Wales family, seen in Scotland last month, are currently on holidays and will soon join King Charles at Balmoral Castle. Getty
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.
He was confronted with a wall of paparazzi and press photographers, television cameras and reporters.
Prince William and Catherine are likely to ensure George’s first day is much less of a spectacle by limiting the media pack to just a few selected journalists and cameras.
When George started at Thomas’s Battersea, in London, aged just four, he was driven there by the Prince of Wales as Catherine had missed the occasion because she was suffering from severe morning sickness, pregnant with her third child.
King Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales accompanying Harry and William to Eton in 1995. AP
The prince’s first day of school was covered by a small group of media only.
Similarly, when the three Wales children started at Lambrook School, in Windsor, together in 2022, photos were handed out to the wider press by Kensington Palace.
While George is accustomed to the media circus by now, his parents continue to protect him, where possible.
They will also want to make sure George’s first day and week does not impact on the other boys starting at Eton.
Although he will board inside Manor House, where his father and uncle Prince Harry lived as students, 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.
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.
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