Prince George, the 12-year-old son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, is preparing to begin his first term at Eton College in September. The prestigious boarding school in Berkshire will also undergo a leadership change, with the appointment of a new Head Master expected within weeks.
New Head Master Expected Soon
Simon Henderson, who has served as Head Master since 2015, announced he will leave the school next September. According to The Sunday Times, Alastair Chirnside, 50, the headmaster (warden) at St. Edward's School in Oxford, is considered the frontrunner to succeed Henderson. Chirnside previously taught at Eton from 2004, serving as Head of Year 11, Head of Classics, and House Master of Walpole House before leaving in 2016 to become Director of Studies at Harrow. He became warden of St. Edward's in September 2021.
Charles Bonas, founder of education advisory firm Bonas MacFarlane, which advises wealthy families on elite schools, said: "The favourite is probably him. He’s got a very good name in the boarding school world, although he has only been at Teddies for a few years, so I don’t think the governors at Teddies would be too happy to see him go."
Eton College: Fees and Academics
Eton College is an independent boarding school for 1,350 boys aged 13 to 18. The school charges approximately £21,100 per term and £63,299 annually. It offers 28 subjects, including classical and modern languages such as French, German, Mandarin, Latin, and Ancient Greek, as well as sciences, humanities, and arts. Eton consistently achieves exceptional results, with 95% of A-level grades at A*-B and 9-7 grades at GCSE.
Prince George's Transition from Lambrook
Prince George is completing his final year at Lambrook School, a co-educational preparatory school also in Berkshire. His siblings, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 8, also attend Lambrook; all three enrolled in September 2022 after the family moved from London to the Windsor estate. Unlike most secondary schools, Prince George will join Eton in Year 9 rather than Year 7, as Lambrook keeps pupils until age 13 to prepare them for the rigorous Common Entrance exams.
Prince William on Boarding School Life
Prince William has spoken about the adjustment to boarding school. During a radio interview with Heart Radio hosts Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston, he said: "Charlotte and Louis - because George is boarding last night - Charlotte and Louis, if you're listening, make sure you're on time, please, make sure you're not fighting over who listens to what, this morning."
Royal Tradition at Eton
Prince William attended Eton from 1995 to 2000, and his brother Prince Harry followed from 1998 to 2003. Their enrollment broke with the recent royal tradition of sending boys to Gordonstoun in Scotland, where King Charles and Prince Philip studied, instead following the tradition of Princess Diana's family, as her father and brother had both attended Eton.
