Get ready for a royal revelation! We're about to dive into the exciting changes awaiting Prince George, the future King of England, as he embarks on his teenage years. But here's where it gets controversial... and this is the part most people miss.
Next year, 2026, promises to be a year of significant transformation for Prince George, who is currently the heir to the British throne after his father, the Prince of Wales. The young royal has already had a busy year, but his journey is far from over. As he enters his teenage years, Prince George will not only start high school but also begin a new chapter in his life, preparing for the responsibilities of adulthood and the throne.
For Prince George, who has lived his entire life in the spotlight since his birth, these changes are monumental. From his introduction to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing, he has become accustomed to the intense interest surrounding his every move. Currently, Prince George attends Lambrook School in Berkshire, along with his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. However, as he turns 13, he will need to transition to a new school, as Lambrook's age limit is 13 years.
The question on everyone's mind is: which secondary school will Prince George attend? Kensington Palace has kept the details under wraps, but when the time comes for his first day, it will undoubtedly make headlines worldwide. His parents, Prince William and Catherine, are expected to carefully manage the occasion to prevent it from becoming a media frenzy. They plan to announce their son's school choice as close to his start date as possible, minimizing the attention on the school and its other students.
The two leading contenders are Eton, located in Windsor, and Marlborough College in Berkshire. Both schools have royal connections. Eton is where Prince William and Prince Harry spent their teenage years, while Marlborough College is where the Princess of Wales herself studied from 1996 to 2000, obtaining her A-Levels in Maths, Art, and English. She was also the captain of the women's field hockey team. Kate's sister Pippa, her brother James, and Princess Eugenie were also past students at Marlborough College.
Marlborough College, founded in 1843, is a public school for pupils aged 13 to 18. In October 2023, Kate was spotted visiting the school, sparking speculation that it might be on the shortlist for Prince George. However, it is widely believed that Prince George will follow in his father and uncle's footsteps and attend Eton. Prince William was accompanied by his mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and then-Prince Charles, along with Prince Harry, on roll call before his first day in 1995. Prince Harry followed three years later, in 1998, and both princes boarded at Manor House on the Eton campus.
Eton is a boys-only school, while Marlborough College is co-educational. If Prince George chooses Marlborough, he could potentially be joined by his two siblings in the coming years. This would be a break from royal tradition, as both King Charles and Prince William attended male-only schools. The Wales family now resides in Forest Lodge, an eight-bedroom Grade II-listed property in Windsor Great Park, which they moved into in late November. Marlborough College is about an hour's drive away, while Eton is much closer to Windsor.
Another option considered for Prince George was St Edward's School in Oxford, approximately an hour from the Wales family home in Windsor. As Prince George turns 13 on July 22, he will officially become a teenager. This milestone is significant for any young person, but especially for the future King of England. As he grows older, the public expects to see more of Prince George at royal events, and he has already begun to take on more significant roles.
In November, Prince George made his first appearance at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, joining his mother and the King and Queen. In May, he took a significant step towards his eventual role as monarch by participating in his most significant official royal engagement to date. Following his appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for VE Day, Prince George attended a morning tea inside the palace for veterans and their families. His parents brought him along, and his father was heard telling one of the veterans that the 11-year-old was "very keen" to hear more about their wartime experiences.
Prince George's inclusion at the tea party was a valuable learning experience for him, not only as the future King but also as the future Head of the Armed Forces. Like his grandfather and father, George is likely to have a future in the Armed Forces, and last year it was revealed that he had already begun flying lessons. The tea party at Buckingham Palace was not Prince George's first official engagement, but it was the first time he was heard speaking to and interacting with members of the public, mirroring the more senior royals.
The Prince and Princess of Wales carefully select which events to include their children in, such as Trooping the Colour and Christmas at Sandringham. Next year, Prince George might also get his first mobile phone. Prince William recently admitted that the decision to ban his eldest son from having a phone had become a "little bit of a tense issue." He described the situation as "really hard" to address and suggested that Prince George might get a basic phone with no internet access when he starts secondary school in September.
"It's really hard," William told Luciano Huck during a visit to Brazil in November. "Our children don't have phones. I think when George moves on to secondary school, then maybe he might have a phone that has no internet access. And to be honest, it's getting to the point where it's becoming a little bit of a tense issue. But I think he understands why, we communicate why we don't think it's right. And again, I think it's the internet access I have a problem with."
Prince William added, "I think children can access too much stuff they don't need to see online, and so having a phone and text message, the old sort of brick phone as they call them, I think that's fine."
As Prince George embraces his solemn duty and grows into his royal role, we can expect to see more of him in the coming years. Stay tuned for the latest updates on this fascinating royal journey!
