Prince George of Wales is following in the footsteps of his father, William, and leaving the nest in time for his 13th birthday—but he’s not going that far. As confirmed by CNN on June 16, the young royal is officially headed for Eton College in September, meaning he will relocate slightly further north in the county of Berkshire, just a short drive from the Prince and Princess of Wales’s family home in Forest Lodge.
Up until now, Prince George has been completing his education at Lambrook School in Berkshire alongside his siblings. Lambroke School is a co-ed preparatory school educating children aged 3-13.
Since he will turn 13 in July, speculation about which school the young prince will attend next has been rampant. According to the BBC, one of the options was Marlborough College, another co-ed institution, this one located further west in Wiltshire, which his mother, Princess Kate, attended.
However, it seems he has ultimately chosen to follow his father and uncle’s route and attend Eton. But what exactly is Eton, and why is it a big deal? We’ve got you covered below.
What is Eton College?
Founded in 1440 by Henry VI, Eton College is a boys-only, boarding-only school in England. It is one of the oldest schools of its kind in the country and maintains the tradition to this day. Eton College is a “public school” (which, in the UK, means a private, fee-based institution) that provides boarding education to boys aged 13–18. It is located in Eton, Berkshire, hence its name.
Eton College is one of the most elitist and prestigious boarding schools in the world (so it tracks for a royal to study there) and only accepts around 270 students per academic year. Fees are over £63,000 per academic year (around $84,000 USD), so quite literally a pretty penny!
Per the school’s website, the school fee includes “tuition, board, lodging, and the cost of most games activities and the majority of educational materials.” However, extracurricular activities, such as music tutoring, incur an additional fee. The only option at Eton is full boarding, so students live on the school premises.
If you are not clued into royal family news, but you are an avid TV watcher, you might recognize Eton as the college of all the Bridgerton men in the Netflix hit series. Though we don’t see them actually enrolled there, Eton is mentioned frequently on the show, especially recently, with the youngest, Gregory, returning from the school in season four as a more “mature" version of himself.
As the eldest son of William and Catherine, and the second person in the line of succession to the British throne, Prince George is the first of his immediate family to enroll in boarding school, but his younger brother, Prince Louis, will likely follow suit in the future.
Who else has gone to Eton College?
As expected, Eton College boasts an impressive alumni list, especially when it comes to royals. Prince George’s own father, Prince William, attended the school from 1995 until 2000, as did his uncle Prince Harry from 1998 until 2003. (You might remember William's first day at Eton from The Crown, and Harry's time at the school is also well documented.)
William’s decision to attend Eton broke with royal tradition, as the previous two generations studied at Gordonstoun, a co-ed private institution in Scotland. (Even more groundbreaking would have been to enroll in a public institution, but we digress!)
Aside from royals, a slew of UK Prime Ministers, including conservatives Boris Johnson and David Cameron, also studied at Eton. Other famous alumni, often referred to as Old Etonians, include actors such as Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, Fantastic Beasts), Tom Hiddleston (best known as Loki in the MCU), Jonah Andre Hauer-King (Prince Eric in the live action The Little Mermaid), Hugh Laurie (Dr. Gregory House in House), Simon Woods (Mr. Bingley in 2005’s Pride & Prejudice), and Harry Lloyd (Viserys Targaryen in Game of Thrones and soon producer George Martin in Sam Mendes’s upcoming four-part The Beatles biopic.)
George Orwell, the legendary author of novels such as 1984 and Animal Farm, and Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond series, also studied at Eton.
