New photos mark Prince George's first day at the school his dad William attended

Prince George has followed in the footsteps of his father, Prince William, and started at the U.K.'s most elite school.

The 13-year-old royal, who is second in line to the British throne, began at Eton College on Tuesday, marking the next phase of his education. The future king arrived at school with his parents and was greeted by the headteacher Simon Henderson, who told George, "Welcome, good luck, enjoy it."

George wore a dark suit with a blue shirt and tie, but will change into "school dress," a black tailcoat, vest and pinstriped pants with a stiff white collar.

Three photographs of George, wearing his uniform, were released by Kensington Palace to mark the occasion. Taken by one of the family's go-to professional photographers, Matt Porteous, the images were shot before George's arrival at school on Tuesday for the start of the new term.

Eton isn't your average private school. The institution, which charges about $85,000 a year in fees, is a centuries-old boarding school that has, for generations, served as a leadership training ground for the British ruling classes.

Founded in 1440 by King Henry VI, it is one of the most famous educational institutions in history. Despite its name, it's not a university but rather a school for boys ages 13 to 18.

Eton is more than tuition fees, blazers and a competitive admissions process — it's a cultural institution. And it comes with a yearbook to die for. Whether that's Hollywood royalty such as Eddie Redmayne or Tom Hiddleston, former British prime ministers (20 have been educated at Eton) or any host of industry leaders across finance, media and fashion, the list goes on.

Along with Hiddleston and Redmayne, other A-list former students include Hugh Laurie, Damian Lewis and Dominic West. Nineteen Eighty-Four novelist George Orwell and James Bond author Ian Fleming also attended the school.

Most Eton alumni remain tight-lipped about their time at the school, but some former students have shared snippets of what life there was like. Redmayne's time at Eton crossed over with William's — in fact, the pair played on the same rugby team. The actor told Glamour in 2015 that William's "a wonderful man" and added that he "always felt slightly sorry for him because everyone wanted to tackle the future king of England."

While Lewis has spoken about the lifelong friendships "forged in the furnace" at Eton, West has shared how difficult it can be for some children to be sent away from home. Writing in the Radio Times in 2016, the actor said that going to boarding school had a "major effect" on him and was "the worst feeling I ever had," comparing it to grief after his parents died.

For William and Kate, the school's location was likely appealing. Situated in the town of Eton, just across the river from Windsor Castle, it's a 15-minute drive from George's family home, Forest Lodge, in Windsor Great Park, about 20 miles west of central London. Despite its proximity to his house, George will board at the school, the BBC reports .

The decision to send George to Eton was not a foregone conclusion, with the family reported to have looked at other schools in recent months , including the coeducational school Marlborough College, the alma mater of George's mother, Kate. Instead, they have chosen the same school his dad attended in 1995.

When King Charles and Princess Diana sent William to Eton in 1995, it broke with decades of royal tradition. Charles himself had attended Gordonstoun School in Scotland (close to the royals' Balmoral Castle), as had many of William's relatives, including his grandfather Prince Philip, his uncles Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, and his cousins Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall.

William has spoken fondly of his time at Eton, saying he particularly enjoyed visiting his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, at her Windsor Castle home. "She had the best teas ever, so I'd get well fed," he told Eugene Levy during an episode of Apple TV's The Reluctant Traveler in October 2025. During a BBC interview marking his 18th birthday, William said he had enjoyed the school "very much," particularly being able to move around the school "as just any other student" — a rare taste of normality for a future king.

The school day starts around 7 a.m. with breakfast in the boarding house, which is followed by an hour at Chapel. Lessons end at 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays are half-days, but pupils also study for half a day on Saturdays.

The school has 25 boarding houses, each accommodating about 55 pupils and supervised by a staff member called a house master, a faculty member who oversees a boarding house. Each boy is given his own private room.

George is second in line to the throne, so the decision about which school he attends had to balance modern family life with aristocratic tradition. He was previously educated at Lambrook, a coeducational private school an eight-minute drive from his home, which he attended alongside his siblings, Charlotte and Louis.

When George's enrolment at Eton was announced in June, Melanie Sanderson, the managing editor of the Good Schools Guide, told the BBC that an Eton education "represents the best preparation for life as a modern working royal."

She added that "despite its ancient buildings, it's a modern school with a progressive outlook" and features "spectacular facilities and spacious grounds."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, an Eton College education doesn't come cheap. The school's current published 2025-26 fee is £21,099.60 ($28,301.99) per term. There are three terms in the British academic year, so the total cost is about £63,298.80 ($84,906.53) a year.

That figure excludes extras, such as activities, which can add another £1,500 ($2,012.14) per term.