Prince George, 12, will move on to secondary school later this yearNicola Croal Trends, Showbiz and Lifestyle Writer and Hanisha Sethi
20:50, 29 Jan 2026
Prince George(Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Prince George will begin secondary school this year and insiders close to Prince William and Kate Middleton have hinted that they are narrowing down the heir to the throne’s future options.
While it’s highly likely that the 12-year-old’s school place is already secured, it has been widely assumed in the past that he will follow in his father and uncle, Prince Harry’s footsteps by attending the prestigious £46,000 a year boys’ school, Eton College, near Windsor.
Eton, which was founded in 1440, has schooled 20 British Prime Ministers, including David Cameron and Boris Johnson, but it seems that Malborough College, the boarding school Kate Middleton attended, could be the preferred option.
A source said: “While Eton would be the obvious choice because it is on their doorstep and where William went, they are leaning towards other schools. I’m hearing Marlborough is the front-runner.”
The future King and Queen have spent hours exploring the options for their eldest son’s secondary school. Kate, 44, was seen visiting several schools, including co-ed and all boy day schools, in north London, the Express reports.
It’s believed that royal protection would be of utmost importance to the Wales family. Both Eton and Marlborough are boarding schools that have plenty of land and the infrastructure for royal protection officers.
Prince George has made more frequent royal appearances in recent years(Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)
The source added: “I genuinely don’t think they’ve one hundred percent decided, but there is talk among the Marlborough set that they’ve allocated a house for George and that security has been a big issue.”
Ingrid Seward, Editor in Chief of Majesty Magazine, told Vanity Fair: “I expect we will be told later on in the summer at the very last minute, when the security detail has been organised, but clearly it’s an important consideration. It will require two protection officers taking it in turns to look after George while he’s at school.”
George, who is the heir to the throne, is currently in his final year at Lambrook, which is a mixed independent school in Berkshire. His younger siblings, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, also attend the same school.
Prince William was the first senior royal to go to Eton, followed by his younger brother Harry who was also educated there between 1998 and 2003.
The staggering fees for Eton are a whopping £15,432 per term according to the school’s website with a £400 fee just for registering although scholarships are offered to some pupils who pass an exam.
It is one of three public schools to have remained as boys only, alongside Harrow and Radley and has educated the likes of English novelist George Orwell and British actor Eddie Redmayne.
The three Wales children joined Lambrook in September 2022.
Headmaster Jonathan Perry formally introducing them at the time said: “We are delighted that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will be joining us this coming September.
“We very much look forward to welcoming the family, as well as all of our new pupils, to our school community.”
As George approaches his teens, years, he has been making more public appearances, each time under the watchful and supportive eye of his mum, Kate.
Some of these royal events include chatting to Second World War heroes at a Buckingham Palace tea party and joining his grandfather, King Charles, for the annual Trooping the Colour celebration in 2025 riding in a carriage and once again taking his place on the Buckingham Palace balcony for another spectacular RAF flypast.
George will turn 13-years-old later this summer on July 22.