Next year is expected to be one of great change for Prince George of Wales.
The youngster, who is heir to the British throne after his father the Prince of Wales, has already had a busy 12 months which saw him carry out his most significant official royal engagement to date.
But in 2026, the prince will enter his teenage years and start high school – beginning a new chapter as he prepares for adulthood and the throne.
Prince George, pictured here for his 12th birthday, will start high school in 2026 and turn 13 in July. (Josh Shinner)
For a boy who has spent his entire childhood in the spotlight from the moment he was introduced to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing, Prince George is no doubt becoming accustomed to the intense interest his movements bring.
He is currently a student at Lambrook School, in Berkshire, along with his sister Princess Charlotte and brother Prince Louis, but the age limit for those enrolled is 13.
Moving to secondary school
Kensington Palace has not yet announced which school Prince George will be moving to when the new school year begins in September, 2026, but when the time comes for his first day it will make headlines around the world.
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The Wales family at Trooping the Colour in 2025: one of a handful of royal events that included George, Charlotte and Louis. (Instagram/princeandprincessofwales)
And his parents are likely to carefully manage the occasion so it does not turn into a media spectacle.
Prince William and Catherine are expected to announce their son’s school of choice as close to his start date as possible, to lessen the attention on the facility and its other pupils.
The two main frontrunners are Eton, in Windsor, and Marlborough College, in Berkshire.
Both have connections with the royal family. Eton is where Prince William and Prince Harry attended during their teenage years.
Prince William with his mother Diana and Prince Harry as he started Eton in September 1995. (WireImage)
And Marlborough College is where the Princess of Wales went from 1996 until 2000 and where she obtained her A-Levels in Maths, Art and English. She was also captain of the women’s field hockey team.
Kate’s sister Pippa and her brother James were past students there, as was Princess Eugenie.
Marlborough College is a public school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded in 1843.
In October, 2023, Kate was seen visiting the school sparking speculation it was on the shortlist for Prince George.
However, it is widely believed Prince George will attend Eton.
Prince Harry started at Eton three years after his brother, in 1998. (UK Press via Getty Images)
Prince William was accompanied by his mother the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and then-Prince Charles, and Prince Harry, on rollcall ahead of his first day in 1995.
Prince Harry followed three years later, in 1998. Both princes boarded at Manor House, on the campus.
Eton is a boys-only school, while Marlborough College is co-educational. If George attends Marlborough College, he could be joined by his two siblings in the coming years. It would also be a break in royal tradition as both King Charles and Prince William went to male-only schools.
The Wales family now live 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 for Prince George was said to be St Edward’s School in Oxford, about an hour from the Wales’ home in Windsor.
Prince George, the teenager
On July 22, Prince George will turn 13 – making him a teenager. The milestone is significant for any youngster, let alone the future King of England.
As he gets older, the public is expecting to see more of Prince George at royal events.
In November, he joined his mother and the King and Queen at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall for the first time.
Prince George was at the Festival of Remembrance for the first time in November. (Getty)
And in May, Prince George took a major step towards his eventual role as monarch by taking part in his most significant official royal engagement to date.
Following an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for VE Day, he attended a morning tea inside the palace for veterans and their families.
Prince George was brought along to the tea party by his parents, with his father heard telling one of the veterans the 11-year-old was “very keen” to hear more about their wartime experiences.
George’s inclusion at the tea party was a significant learning moment for the prince, not only as eventual King but as future Head of the Armed Forces.
In May, the prince attended a morning tea for war veterans inside Buckingham Palace, which was his most significant royal event to date. (Getty)
Like his grandfather and father, George will likely have a future in the Armed Forces. Last year it was revealed that he had already begun flying lessons.
The tea party at Buckingham Palace was by no means Prince George’s first official engagement, but it was the first where he had been heard speaking to members of the public and interacting with them as the more senior royals were doing.
The Prince and Princess of Wales only include their children in the most significant of events, where appropriate, including Trooping the Colour and Christmas at Sandringham.
Prince George might also get a mobile phone next year.
The three Wales children started at Lambrook School in September, 2022. (AP)
Recently, Prince William admitted the decision to ban his eldest son from having a phone had “become a little bit of a tense issue”.
He said the issue was “really hard” to address and suggested Prince George might get a brick 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.
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“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.”
The prince 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.”
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