A former Eton College pupil who studied at the school at the same time as Prince William believes Prince George will have an "easier time" there because the college is "more caring" now. Prince George began his first day at the Berkshire college on September 8, following in the footsteps of his father, William, and numerous celebrity alumni.
College costs and famous alumni
Eton College, known for its exclusivity, charges £65,673 per year. Its roll call of famous former students includes actors Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie and Eddie Redmayne, several prime ministers including Lord David Cameron, writers George Orwell and Ian Fleming, and adventurer Bear Grylls.
George William Callaghan, 47, from Windsor, Berkshire, joined Eton in 1993, two years before Prince William. He described his own first day as "bewildering."
Former pupil's verdict
"I think Prince George will have it easier," Callaghan said. "They kind of molly coddle you now, they're much more caring than they used to be. It used to be about toughening you up, but that's not the case now."
Callaghan, now a private tutor, recalls the media attention when Prince William arrived. "There was a huge media scrum outside Manor House when William arrived, which was the boarding house he joined. The school newspapers were reporting on it, too," he said.
First day memories
Callaghan believes the decision to send Prince George to Eton was carefully considered. "Eton will be keen to keep him happy and safe. He'll inevitably be the odd one out, because he'll be king one day. But he would have been even more of a celebrity at any other public school," he said.
When Callaghan joined Eton at age 13, the same age as Prince George, he remembers the experience vividly. "I remember my first day. It was daunting and exhilarating. There's 1,300 boys and I didn't come from the same background. My parents were middle class and my grandparents were working class," he said.
The first day begins with a tea party for new boys and their parents. After parents leave, each boy must be officially signed in by hand and asked whether their main sport will be football or rugby. "I was happy and proud to be there. I thought it was a ticket to the golden future. It felt almost like it was historic," he said.
Adjusting to college life
Callaghan stayed up that night to write a letter to a friend about the occasion. "Then all the older boys came back to the rooms at 10pm. They came into my room and started mocking me. It wasn't necessarily bullying, it was just mildly uncomfortable, light-hearted mocking," he said.
For the first few days, he felt unsure of where to be or when. "The word that stuck in my head to describe those first days is bewildered. I thought I wouldn't cry, but I did a few days in," he said.
