Eton College May Have Some Competition for Prince George's Educational Future

Since early summer—when the Prince and Princess of Wales and their eldest child, Prince George, were seen touring William’s alma mater, Eton College—it has been all but assumed that George would enroll there when he is able (September 2026, when he is 13 years old).

But now, there’s a shakeup in the fold: Kate was seen at her alma mater, Marlborough College. Could George be up for consideration there, as well? (While Eton is all-boys, Marlborough is co-ed, and, in addition to Kate, her younger siblings Pippa and James also attended, as did Princess Eugenie. Marlborough stands a fighting chance for this reason—if George attended there, both of his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, could eventually join him there. All three currently attend co-ed Lambrook School together.) 

“Catherine was here [at Marlborough] the other day,” a source told Richard Eden of The Daily Mail. “It’s been the talk of the school.”

The Wales kids attending Marlborough would be a break from royal tradition, just as William (and later Prince Harry) attending Eton was once a shakeup to the norm. William was the first senior royal to attend Eton, enrolling in 1995 at age 13; his father, King Charles, and grandfather, Prince Philip, attended Gordonstoun in Scotland. Eton wasn’t totally unfamiliar, though—the brother and father of William’s mother, Princess Diana, both went there.

While at Eton, William would pop over to the nearby Windsor Castle for Sunday lunches with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. “The prince takes his style from his royal grandmother, who intervened as the marriage of William’s parents dissolved in 1995,” said royal historian Robert Lacey, per People. “The 13-year-old was in a fragile place—alone and just starting boarding at the elite Eton College across the river from Windsor. Concerned for her grandson’s emotional state, the Queen invited William up to join her when Eton boys went home for the weekend.”

Marie Claire has previously reported that Kate is not a fan of sending George to Eton to board—just one of many ways that Kate is demonstrating a new way to parent a future monarch. “Coming from a different background, she appreciates the importance of having family time,” a source close to the royal household told People. “She wasn’t brought up in that aristocratic setting where you see the children for a short time each day.” 

William and Kate are currently off duty spending time with their kids, who are on half-term break from school. They’ll resume royal duties on October 30, the same day the kids go back to school. “Those children look pretty happy with life,” a Palace source told People. “A lot of it is the stabilizing normality Kate brings—and that’s how she grew up. William absolutely loves it.”