Prince George at Eton: A New Uniform, Familiar Tradition and the Start of a New Royal Era
EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS: Prince George begins a new chapter at Eton College, following in Prince William’s footsteps.
WHEN the Royal Observer team were reporting from Eton today, there was a real sense of significance in the air.
As we broadcast from the green plains of College Field backing onto the historic College boarding house, one could certainly feel the importance surrounding the occasion and why we were present on the grounds. There was an awareness that behind those historic walls, a future King was beginning one of the most formative chapters of his young life.
At 13-years-old, Prince George's arrival at Eton College represents far more than a change of education. It is a milestone in the evolution of his childhood, a continuation of a remarkable royal connection and, perhaps most importantly, the beginning of an experience that will increasingly belong to George alone. For a number of years, the public has watched him grow alongside his siblings, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight. The three Wales children attended Lambrook School together and have frequently appeared side-by-side at royal and family occasions.
But that now changes as George begins a new school career without his younger brother and sister beside him. He will have his own classmates, his own routines and friendships, and a school life completely separate from theirs. In fact, it's more than likely George and Louis will never be in school together again. The eldest son of Prince William and Princess Catherine will finish his A-Levels, just as Louis turns 13 himself.
Standing at Eton today, that was one of the things that struck me the most. The significance of this seminal day was captured beautifully in three new official portraits taken by photographer Matt Porteous and released by Kensington Palace ahead of his arrival on Tuesday. This is the beginning of an individual chapter for George, one where he steps out on his own terms. Meanwhile, the signature Eton uniform and similar posture provided an unmistakable link to his father, Prince William.
They new images show the teenage prince wearing Eton's distinctive formal uniform: the famous black tailcoat paired with a smart waistcoat, pinstriped trousers and elevated white collar. It is difficult to look at the photographs without immediately thinking of his father at that same stage of his life. More than three decades ago, William was himself a 13-year-old pupil beginning his secondary school journey at Eton. Photographs from his school years show the future Prince of Wales dressed in that same instantly recognisable style.
There is something particularly poignant about that continuity as his son attends that same institution. Prince William once walked into Eton as a young prince with an extraordinary future ahead of him. Today he returned as a father, knowing his eldest son faces many of the same unique pressures he once did. Few parents could understand George's position quite as William can. But while the uniform and school inevitably invite comparisons between father and son, George's experience should not simply be viewed as a repeat of William's. Prince George is second in line to the throne. If events follow the expected course, the 13-year-old pictured in his Eton uniform today will one day become Prince of Wales and eventually King.
That gives these photographs an extraordinary historical significance. One day, they may be looked back upon in much the same way as we now look at photographs of the teenage Prince of Wales: a glimpse of a future monarch before adulthood and public duty set in. For George, the next three to five years will certainly be about education, but also about growing up. He will meet new people, establish friendships, encounter new expectations and gradually become more independent. For the first time, much of that will happen away from the siblings with whom he has shared his school life until now. Charlotte and Louis remain together at Lambrook and on Wednesday, will start Year 7 and 4 respectively.
That separation is an ordinary part of growing up, but in George's case it feels particularly important. So much of his life has been defined before he has been old enough to understand it. Eton offers him an opportunity to begin discovering more about who he is as an individual, as he delves deeper into his interests and discovers what he truly feels passionate about
There will inevitably be enormous attention surrounding today's official pictures and the footage of the traditional greeting by the headmaster, Simon Henderson, and provost, Sir Nicholas Coleridge. They are carefully composed portraits to commemorate an important royal milestone. But behind them is a very real first day for a teenager. There will be timetables to understand, teachers and classmates to meet, buildings and routines to navigate and countless Eton traditions to become accustomed to. Before long, what today feels momentous will hopefully become normality for George. That may be one of the most important things the school can offer him. Perhaps, that explains some of the atmosphere we felt around Eton today.
The very knowledge of his incoming arrival - and the significance of what was about to take place inside - was unmistakable. There was history in the choice of school. There was continuity in the uniform. There was the remarkable image of William returning to the place where he spent his own teenage years. But there was something else too. For a number of years, George has been one of the first of the three Wales children to start boarding school. Today, he began something on his own, alongside the support of his loving parents.
The tailcoat may connect Prince George to his father's past, and his position inevitably connects him to the future of the monarchy. But his first day at Eton was ultimately about the present: a 13-year-old beginning a new school, gaining greater independence and taking one of his first significant steps into a world of his own.
