Prince George has started his first day at Eton College, following in the footsteps of his father, Prince William, by attending the 600-year-old school.
Prince William and his wife, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, were with King Charles’s grandson when he arrived at his new school, with footage showing them smiling and relaxed as Eton’s head teacher, Simon Henderson, greeted them.
The future king’s uncle, Prince Harry, also attended Eton, which is close to the monarch’s Windsor Castle, west of London, and where William and Catherine and their other two children, Charlotte and Louis, also have a home.
Fees for the all-boys boarding school, which was founded by King Henry VI in 1440, are about £65,000 (NZD$150,000) a year.
Prince George, second in line to the throne, previously attended the private Lambrook School, also near Windsor, with his sister and younger brother.
Prince William was the first member of the royal family to attend Eton. Charles went to Gordonstoun, the same private school on the north coast of Scotland that his father, Prince Philip, attended.
Eton has long been the alma mater for many of the country’s political leaders. Twenty British prime ministers, including Boris Johnson and David Cameron, went to the school, as did actors Hugh Laurie, Damian Lewis and Tom Hiddleston.
It retains many traditions. Pupils wear tailcoats, waistcoats and gowns, and teachers are referred to as “beaks”.