Future king follows in father's footsteps as he arrives at historic school
The Prince of Wales and his wife, Catherine, escorted their eldest son to the Berkshire school where he will board, following his father, uncle and great-uncle in attending the elite institution that has educated 20 British prime ministers.
A rainy morning in Windsor marked the beginning of a new chapter for the future king as Prince George arrived for his first day at Eton College, accompanied by his father and mother, the Prince and Princess of Wales. Prince William and Catherine, carrying umbrellas against the downpour, brought the 13-year-old, dressed in jacket and tie, to be welcomed by the head teacher, Simon Henderson, and provost Sir Nicholas Coleridge. "Welcome, good luck and enjoy," said Henderson as he shook hands with the new pupil, before making small talk about the inclement weather. The party then disappeared inside the historic school's yard, overlooked by the Tudor landmark of Lupton's Tower, where George will now be a boarder.
The young prince, who travelled the short distance from his family home at Forest Lodge in Windsor, was later photographed in the school's distinctive uniform of black tailcoat, waistcoat and stiff white collar. His enrolment at Eton follows a well-trodden royal path: his father, his uncle Prince Harry, and his great-uncle Earl Spencer all attended the elite boys' school, which counts 20 British prime ministers among its alumni and charges fees of approximately £65,000 a year. The decision, while traditional, was not a foregone conclusion; speculation had swirled about which school George would attend after finishing at Lambrook, the independent prep school in Berkshire, with several other private institutions mooted as possibilities. Ultimately, his parents opted for a familiar choice.
George will now become a boarder at the school, which comprises 25 boarding houses, each home to about 55 pupils from the age of 13, under the care of residential staff led by a house master. His time at Eton is expected to be shielded from intense media and public scrutiny, a protection his father had valued. As an 18-year-old student in June 2000, William had spoken of his enjoyment at being able to "go about Eton as just another student". That sense of ordinariness within an extraordinary setting will be a key part of George's experience, though his future role sets him apart from his peers.
Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of the Good Schools Guide, observed that Eton, "despite its ancient buildings, is a modern school with a progressive outlook". She noted that most 13-year-olds arriving there "cannot possibly know what adult life holds for them", but that George's parents, with an unrivalled choice of schools available, had clearly decided that "an Eton education represents the best preparation for life as a modern working royal". The school's roll of distinguished Old Etonians includes recent political figures such as Lord David Cameron, Boris Johnson, Kwasi Kwarteng and Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, as well as actors Eddie Redmayne, Dominic West, Damian Lewis and Tom Hiddleston. For George, the first day of term at the venerable institution marks not merely an educational milestone, but the beginning of a formative chapter in the life of a future sovereign.