Prince George will attend Eton College from autumn, following in the footsteps of his father, the Prince of Wales, Kensington Palace has said.
George, 12, who made an appearance with his family at the Trooping the Colour ceremony at the weekend, will be a pupil at the school that educated William and his brother, the Duke of Sussex.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said: “Kensington Palace can confirm that Prince George will attend Eton College from this September.”
It is not known if George will board at Eton, but the college is only a few miles from the Waleses’ Forest Lodge home at Windsor.
William and his wife Kate were reportedly spotted touring Eton with their eldest son in 2023, fuelling speculation the school was high on their list of places to send George.
In recent days, there have been reports that a decision about which institution would be entrusted with educating George would be announced by the prince and princess this month.
George’s father, Prince William, enrolled in the school in 1995 before being joined by Prince Harry a few years later in 1998. They both boarded at Manor House.
William’s attendance at Eton was a significant break in royal tradition at the time, as it was expected he would go to Gordonstoun in Scotland, which his father Charles and grandfather Philip both attended.
The press were allowed to record William’s first day at Eton with his parents, Charles and Diana, the then Prince and Princess of Wales, and brother Harry, with the family pictured as the new pupil signed in on 6 September 1995.
Five years later, when aged 18, William was interviewed about his time at the school and reportedly said: “I’ve really enjoyed being able to go about Eton as just another student.”
The young prince is currently studying at Lambrook School, the private prep school in Berkshire, where he boards, and it is also attended by his siblings Princess Charlotte, 11, and eight-year-old Prince Louis.
Eton College is one of the most famous and prestigious schools in the world and has a reputation for instilling self-reliance and leadership as students have to fulfil many non-academic tasks themselves.
Admission is rigorous, with the boys going through stringent tests and parents pay an annual fee of £63,298 for a school whose name is likely to be more influential than the academic qualifications gained by pupils.
Its roll call of famous past students includes actors Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie and Eddie Redmayne, a large number of prime ministers including David Cameron, writers George Orwell and Ian Fleming, and adventurer Bear Grylls.
