Prince George Is Going To Eton-Did Kate Middleton Lose A Battle With Prince William?

By Roisin Kelly Parade - Trending Stories

Updated June 19, 2026 5:28 AM

Prince George is going to Eton College in the fall-meaning Kate Middleton may have lost a battle with Prince William.

Kensington Palace recently confirmed that the 12-year-old future king is set to follow in his father Prince William and uncle Prince Harry's footsteps, who are both alumni of the elite boys-only boarding school.

But how much does it cost, and was it the Prince and Princess of Wales' first choice of school for their oldest son?

Here's what the royal family probably doesn't want you to know!

Eton was founded in 1440 and costs an eyewatering $84,000 per year. It educates boys aged between 13 and 18 and accepts 270 students per year.

Realistically, George was always going to start attending Eton when he turned 13, despite rumors that he might attend Kate's alma mater of Marlborough College.

There have been suggestions of a briefing war between William and Kate that has been waged via the British press since 2023, with Kate strongly pushing for their son to be educated at Marlborough.

Kate was a student at Marlborough between 1996 and 2000. Although not as prestigious as Eton, it is still an elite school.

Because it is co-ed, Princess Charlotte (11) could have theoretically joined her brother as a boarder when it was time for her to begin high school.

As second and third in line to the throne, George and Charlotte occupy roles in society outside that of the rest of their peers, and although it is a privileged position it must be lonely as well.

It perhaps makes sense that Kate would want her two oldest children to have the option for turning to each other for company while attending school away from home.

Charlotte in turn could have eventually been joined by her 7-year-old brother Prince Louis.

George, Charlotte, and Louis are all currently students at Lambrook School.

And who knows-when the time comes, perhaps both Charlotte and Louis will end up at Marlborough. But as far as George is concerned, Marlborough is out and Eton College is in.

Although George will be a boarder, he will still be only a 15-minute drive from his family's home of Forest Lodge in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

When William was a student at Eton, he often swung by Windsor Castle to have tea with his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.

William began attending Eton in 1995 when he was 13 years old and was accompanied on his first day by his parents Prince Charles and Princess Diana, as well as his brother Prince Harry.

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Harry would go on to enrol at Eton in 1998.

Twenty British prime ministers have been students at Eton, and the school is said to play an important part in forming social connections that are crucial for students who go on to forge political careers, as well as careers in journalism, medicine, education, law, and the arts.

So you can see why William may have put his foot down concerning the Wales's choice of school for George.

If you're a fan of the hit Netflix show Bridgerton, you'll have heard Eton referred to throughout the series-it's the school that all of the men in the Bridgerton family attended.

In real life other notable alumni include the actos Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne, and Hugh Laurie.

Because Eton is so old it has many rules and codes of conduct that might be seen as archaic and obscure, but which persist in the present day.

For example, it has 25 boarding houses each with its own set of colors. On George's first day he will be presented with the 'colors test' and will have to prove that he has memorized the colors for all the houses.

If George hands in a piece of schoolwork that isn't up to scratch, the teacher will punish him by giving him a 'rip' (a tear at the top of the page.) If he racks up too many 'rips' then he gets a 'white ticket' and he'll be subjected to a progress report.

If he breaks the school's rules, he might receive the punishment of copying out hexameters of Latin poetry by hand. Depending on the degree of rule-breaking this might consist of Lines (100 hexameters) or the more severe punishment of Georgic (500 hexameters!)

Or he might simply be ordered to weed a housemaster's garden.

Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of Good Schools Guide, told Hello!, "Eton, above all the other schools, has a breadth that's really unparalleled. All the other public schools have extracurricular opportunities, in theatre and on the sports pitch, but Eton really does take it to another level. Eton very much delivers on the global stage. [George] will be rubbing shoulders with the children of the great and the good from all around the world."

She went on to remind readers that George will be head of the Church of England one day, and that chapel remains "a central part of Eton."

Eton's website reads, "Today, the Chapel services retain their important position in the life of the College: boys attend once on Sundays and at a number of other voluntary services throughout the week."

Next, The Special Meaning Behind Kate Middleton's Honeycomb Bee Earrings

This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 4:11 AM.

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