As Prince George prepares to become a teenager and start senior school, royal experts say the coming year will bring big changes for parents Kate and William and they have one big wish
The move to senior school is a big moment for any child, but for a future King it’s a huge milestone. In July 2026, Prince George is set to leave Lambrook in Berkshire and in September he’ll make his debut in a new school as a Year 9 student. The shift is sure to be a time of mixed emotions for Kate, as she prepares and guides her firstborn over the months ahead. “George’s new school will be a really big transition for them as a family,” royal expert Katie Nicholl says.
“Change is on the horizon, but this is a family that has not been afraid of change. I think George will be more than ready for this next stage.” The move will certainly be an adjustment for Kate, who has been a regular fixture at Lambrook since George started there in 2022. The princess is known for her hands-on approach to her children’s education, whether she’s supporting sports matches from the sidelines or joining the queue for a charity tombola. Touchingly, she’s revealed that she particularly cherished her involvement during her cancer treatment, saying, “On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life.”
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At the time of going to press, the couple’s choice of secondary school had yet to be confirmed by Kensington Palace. However, it has long been speculated that Marlborough College, a prestigious co-educational boarding school in Wiltshire, and all-boys boarding school Eton in Berkshire are firmly in the running. Kate and William have reportedly been spotted visiting both schools, which are extremely prestigious and cost around £60,000 a year.
Between them they have also produced their fair share of high-profile alumni – Eton counts actors Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston, plus former prime minister Boris Johnson amongst its past students, while comedian Jack Whitehall and singer Chris De Burgh went to Marlborough.
“I know the couple have looked at independent day schools, but I think George is likely to go to a boarding school, like William and Kate did,” Katie Nicholl tells us. “I think he will go to either Eton or Marlborough but, wherever he goes, William and Kate will have spent a lot of time making this choice. They will have very much involved George in the decision, and will be making sure the school can give him the best start in life, for his future.”
Eton and Marlborough have many memories for the royal couple, who spent their teenage years at the schools. While Kate and her siblings, Pippa and James, all attended Marlborough, William and Harry studied at Eton. The latter was something of a break in tradition for the royals – Prince Philip and the King had attended Gordonstoun in Scotland.
While William hasn’t talked at length about his years at Eton, he reminisced fondly about his time there during his recent interview with actor Eugene Levy. Pointing out the school from a window in Windsor Castle, he revealed that at weekends he would visit his grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, for “the best teas” and a chat “about family stuff, a bit of work stuff, maybe sometimes about what was going on, mostly just to tell stories really about whatever I was up to”.
“I would put money on George going to Eton,” royal biographer Hugo Vickers tells OK !. “It’s a very a good school, and it’s always ahead of the curve in so many ways. Of course, it’s also in Windsor and very close to Forest Lodge, the family’s new home.
“I think William enjoyed his time there, he did well academically and he was helped by a brilliant housemaster, Dr Andrew Gailey during the awful time around Diana’s death. Dr Gailey did a really good job with both William and Harry.” Indeed, William’s former housemaster clearly still has a place in the royal family’s hearts, because he was a guest at his wedding to Kate in 2011.
Likewise, Kate moved to Marlborough aged 14, after a reportedly unhappy period at Downe House near Newbury. Once at Marlborough, she developed confidence and even became the school hockey captain. The school has something of a royal track record too, counting Princess Eugenie and Captain Mark Phillips, Princess Anne’s first husband, amongst its alumni. It is also co-ed, and Kate was reportedly drawn to the thought that George, Charlotte and Louis could share the same school experience, just like she did with her own siblings.
“A mother at Marlborough told me that Catherine and Pippa threw themselves into everything they did with full gusto,” says Hugo Vickers. “Whether it was a play, a concert or a hockey match. They are both really great girls.”
Of course, George is our future King, and his fellow students will be all too aware that he is destined for the throne. But Hugo Vickers and Katie Nicholl believe that wherever he goes in September 2026, his parents will ensure his school years remain as carefree as possible. “I’m sure they are preparing George for the future, and he was given a very significant role as a page at the King’s Coronation,” says Hugo. “But there are two generations before [he gets to the throne], he has plenty of time.”
Katie Nicholl adds, “It’s really important to both William and Kate that he has as ordinary a secondary school life as he possibly can. But of course, it’s going to feel very different for George and the family when he goes, because they’ve always been so close. In their young lives, the children have moved from London to Windsor, had the transition when their great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II died, and coped with their mother’s illness.
“They have been through a lot at a young age, but they are probably very resilient. I think they are very secure in their home life and that George is probably very excited about this next stage. And that’s full credit to William and Kate.”
