Why Prince George Faces a Different Privacy Landscape Than Prince William at Eton
An expert believes that royal snippets from Eton might leak out in the age of extra media attention.
Prince George has radiantly stepped into a promising new chapter as a student. The 13-year-old future king was captured alongside his parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, making a stunning statement in a traditional tailcoat and tie on his first day at Eton College. Today's milestone also marks a solemn occasion: the fourth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's passing at Balmoral Castle in 2022. The late Queen would undoubtedly have been pleased to see her great-grandchild upholding a family tradition, following in the footsteps of his father, the Prince of Wales, his uncle, the Duke of Sussex, and his great-uncle, Earl Spencer, who all attended the same elite campus. While he shoulders the legacy William once bore 31 years ago, George steps into an era where privacy remains a rare luxury.
Joe Little, Managing Editor of Majesty Magazine, explained to Town and Country Magazine, "The Prince of Wales was spared the tortures of social media and smartphones when he started at Eton in the 1990s. However, his contemporaries read newspaper reports about his parents’ turbulent marriage and gave him a hard time about that." He continued, "Fast forward 30 years to the age of omnipresent phone cameras and the immediacy of royal life, both public and private. Although Eton may have a strict policy about the use of smartphones, snippets of Prince George’s time there will inevitably leak out."
However, Eton's stringent privacy policies, including "no photography" signs and the distribution of basic 'brick' phones to new students, helped influence William and Kate's decision to enroll their elder son there. This timing aligns with a broader trend across the UK, where schools are increasingly banning smartphones, and the government plans to restrict social media access for children under 16.
During Prince William's time at St Andrews University, students were strictly warned about the consequences of sharing information. While the smartphone era brings new challenges for the royal family, the Waleses have managed to protect their children's privacy by being highly selective about their media presence. As parents, they regularly handle school runs without drawing attention from photographers. They often visit public beaches in Norfolk and Cornwall, and their family holidays typically remain private, including a discreet trip to Jordan in 2021, which they revealed through their Christmas card.
They publicly expressed concern over aggressive paparazzi tactics in a 2015 open letter to The Guardian, emphasizing their wish for Prince George and Princess Charlotte to experience life beyond rigid royal confines. Perhaps the best example of enjoying a private education during this overstimulated media age is Lady Louise, who spent four years at St Andrews University with little online presence. Although not second in line to the throne, she was likely the most recognized individual in a room filled with smartphones, indicating a broader public respect for royal privacy, and Prince George might enjoy the same.
