Prince George is set to begin at Eton College in September, having reportedly followed the same admission process as every other applicant. According to an insider, the young royal received “no special treatment” and had to sit the school’s entrance exam before being offered a place, reports Vanity Fair.
Decision and Confirmation
Prince William and Princess Catherine had also considered Marlborough College, the Wiltshire co-educational boarding school where Catherine excelled. However, Eton’s close proximity to the family home in Windsor appears to have been the deciding factor.
George's attendance at the £63,000-a-year school was confirmed by Kensington Palace in June. In a statement, they said: “Kensington Palace can confirm that Prince George will attend Eton College from this September.”
Insider Details
The source told Vanity Fair: “Catherine and William are so pleased George is going to Eton and George is over the moon.”
“He has been to see the school more than once and loved it. He was very chuffed to be offered a place and is excited about getting fitted for a new uniform,” the source added.
“William and Catherine love the fact that George won’t be too far from home but can also be a boarder and fully immerse himself in school life,” the insider continued.
“He had to sit the exams just like every other applicant, and he is very proud to be starting in September.”
Family History at Eton
On Eton’s website, the “Michaelmas” term at the college begins with the boys returning on September 9, which is just two weeks away.
Prince William reportedly relished his time at Eton College from 1995 to 2000. The school, in Berkshire, was a place where he could study privately. William took part in sports and made friends like every other pupil.
The press had limited access to King Charles and Princess Diana's eldest son. Prince William was the first senior member of the royal family to attend the school, following in his uncle Charles Spencer's footsteps. He set the trend for Prince Harry, who joined him in 1998.
However, Prince Harry did not enjoy his time at Eton. “The finest school in the world for boys, Eton was meant to be a shock, I think,” Harry wrote in his memoir Spare. “Shock must’ve been part of its original charter, even perhaps a part of the instructions given to its first architects by the school’s founder, my ancestor Henry VI.”
“He deemed Eton some sort of holy shrine, a sacred temple, and to that end he wanted it to overwhelm the senses, so visitors would feel like meek, abased pilgrims. In my case, mission accomplished,” Harry added.
