Tradition is a big deal in the royal family, and it seems like Prince George may soon continue one set by his late grandmother Princess Diana’s family. The little royal — who turns 10 next month! — was spotted with his parents Prince William and Kate Middleton on a tour of a very important place: Eton College!
According to The Sun, the Prince and Princess of Wales took their eldest son to tour the boys-only school, which reportedly cost £45,000 a year. He walked by the Porters’ Lodge at the college, most likely getting the inside scoop on the school from his dad, who attended Eton himself when he was a boy.
Kate Middleton and Prince William had an interesting method for choosing their son's name. 👀 https://t.co/FHfPuCf5A1
— SheKnows (@SheKnows) June 16, 2023
Is this tour just a brush with nostalgia — or could it mean Prince George might follow in his father’s footsteps and attend Eton? It’s hard to say, but according to The Sun, prospective pupils have to register their interest three years in advance, so now would be the time, as classes start at 13 years old.
Eton College
Before Prince William went to Eton in 1995 (and his brother Prince Harry went in 1998), the royals traditionally went to another school. King Charles III and his father, Prince Philip, both attended Gordonstoun in Scotland — which, if you’ve seen The Crown, was not exactly a pleasant experience. Going to Eton would actually be following the Spencer side of the family, as Princess Diana’s father, John Spencer, and her brother, Charles Spencer, both attended the college located in Windsor.
Below, check out photos of Prince William and Prince Harry during their time at Eton, which may give a hint of what Prince George’s future may look like!
Prince William’s First Day At Eton
Princess Diana, Prince Harry, Prince William, and then-Prince Charles were photographed on Prince William’s first day at Eton on Sept. 6, 1995.
Prince William Signed the Entrance Book
Prince William signed the traditional Entrance Book on his first day.
Eton College Uniform
Prince William wore his Eton College uniform made up of a tail-coat, waistcoat, and pinstriped trousers on his first day of classes on Sept. 7, 1995.
Cooking Class
Prince William whipped up a chicken paella during a cooking class at Eton.
Water Polo
Prince William also played water polo while at Eton. He participated in Water Polo Championships and later became patron of the English Schools’ Swimming Association (ESSA) and Mountain Rescue in England and Wales.
He said in a statement, “Having swum and played water polo throughout my days at school and university, I am well aware of the great benefits and pleasure that can be derived from them. ESSA enables children all over the country to share in these benefits, teaching them to swim – and swim to the highest standards – and generally to enjoy their time in the water.”
“As Patron, therefore, I look forward to doing whatever I can to help children and young people in England become more physically active and healthy through fostering their enjoyment of swimming, diving and water polo; activities from which everyone can get great satisfaction all through life,” he added.
Soccer
Another sport Prince William at Eton? Soccer! He once told BBC Radio Five Live’s That Peter Crouch podcast that he thought “everybody wanted to break my legs” when he was on the field, per Express.
He told a story about something he did to get a player back. “A long time ago, I got one of my policemen to take a laser pen out with them,” he said. “And I got him to red-dot one of the players. I kept saying, ‘See, see what happened to you’. I was about 15 at the time. I said [to the player], ‘see, he’s following you, following you’.”
Crouch replied, “Pretending to have a sniper on him?”
Prince William said, “Exactly, it put him off for about, you know, 10 minutes.”
Elite Prefect Society
Prince William was a member of an elite prefect society called “Pop” while he was at Eton College. According to The Guardian, being a part of this allows you to “drop Eton’s regulation black waistcoat and pinstripe trousers” and wear multicolored waistcoats and houndstooth trousers instead, among other benefits.
Gap Year
Prince William had his photo taken in Sept. 2000 to mark the beginning of his gap year, after finishing Eton and before attending the University of St. Andrews, where he met his future wife, Kate Middleton.
Prince Harry
Prince Harry also attended Eton College. This photo was taken upon graduation on May 12, 2003.
Art Classes
Prince Harry took art classes at Eton.
Parade Commander
Prince Harry was also the parade commander of the Guard of Honour at the Combined Cadet Forces tattoo at Eton College.
Soccer
Like his older brother, Prince Harry also played soccer at Eton.
Acting
Prince Harry also honed his acting chops, performing in a production of Much Ado About Nothing at Eton.
Polo
Prince Harry played polo during his time at Eton, one of his father King Charles’s favorite pastimes as well (in fact, Charles liked the sport so much that he was reported to have left Princess Diana to play mere hours after bringing a newborn Prince Harry home from the hospital).
Lambrook School
Currently, Prince William and Princess Kate’s kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 5, attend Lambrook School in Berkshire.
In July 2021, a source told Us Weeklythat the Prince and Princess of Wales were considering sending George to boarding school.
“Kate and William are open to sending George to boarding school in the future and have already checked out a few, but they feel eight is a little young and want to wait until he’s slightly older,” they said.
The insider added, “George going to school is a decision the Cambridges will make as a family. They’d never force George to go unless he wants to and they feel it’s right.”
Only time will tell if Eton College is next for Prince George, but in a family rich with tradition, it’s nice to see that he may be following in his dad’s footsteps.
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