Prince William prepares to break 'strict' rule for Prince George at Eton

The Prince and Princess of Wales have one parenting ban at home for their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

Prince William and Prince George on VE Day 80© Getty
Nichola Murphy
Nichola MurphyLifestyle Editor
2 minutes ago
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Following Kensington Palace's confirmation that Prince George will be attending Eton College from September, Prince William may be preparing to relax one of his "strict" parenting rules.

The Prince and Princess of Wales' eldest child, 12, will be leaving behind his daily school run to Lambrook School in Berkshire and travelling to nearby Eton, where he will likely board.

While the school is still located a short 15-minute drive from the royals' Windsor property, Forest Lodge, the fact that George could spend more time away from home means William and Kate will likely want to be in close contact with their son. 

The move coincides with William's plans to allow George to have a mobile phone, something he has banned for the future king and his siblings Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, so far. 

WATCH: Prince George confirmed to attend Eton College from September

On Eugene Levy’s Apple TV+ series The Reluctant Traveler, the Schitt's Creek actor asked if the family all eat together, and William replied: "Yes definitely. So, we sit and chat, it's really important. None of our children have any phones, which we're very strict about."

Instead of using phones, the Prince's two youngest children love to "beat each other up" on the trampoline, he joked. 

Eton College was long a frontrunner for George's school© Corbis via Getty Images
Eton College was long a frontrunner for Prince George's school

William added the no phone rule has been a "tense" topic of conversation, telling broadcaster Luciano Huck on his visit to Brazil for the Earthshot Prize awards in 2025: "I think when George moves on to secondary school, then maybe he might have a phone that has no internet access.

"And to be honest, it’s getting to the point where it’s becoming a little bit of a like tense issue. But I think he understands why.

Prince William and Kate take their children to Lambrook School© Getty Images
Prince William and Kate had banned phones for their three children while they were at Lambrook School

"We communicate why we don’t think it’s right. And again, I think it’s the internet access I have a problem with. 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."

Melanie Sanderson, managing editor at the Good Schools Guide, said that Prince George could not have made a better choice.

"Eton, above all the other schools, has a breadth that's really unparalleled. All the other public schools have extracurricular opportunities, in theatre and on the sports pitch, but Eton really does take it to another level. Eton very much delivers on the global stage. He will be rubbing shoulders with the children of the great and the good from all around the world.

"He's going to be head of the Church of England one day. Chapel is less of a central feature at a lot of schools than it used to be, but it's still a central part of Eton. William was confirmed at Eton and I would expect George to go down the same path.

"I think a coed school presents some issues that William and Kate may not want to address. They may wish someone to curate the kind of people George is socialising with. I think that's easier in an all-boys environment.

"Eton will have its socials with the lies of Wycombe Abbey, but at the end of the day, they will be back in single-sex classes. For me, it was always the obvious choice. It would have been my top pick as an educational consultant."

Family tradition

Prince William using a computer at Eton College© Tim Graham Photo Library via Get
Prince William was enrolled at Eton from 1995 to 2000

By attending the traditional all-boys school, which costs £63,298 per year, George will be following in the footsteps of his father, Prince William, who was enrolled from 1995 to 2000.

King Charles' son became the first senior member of the royal family to attend the school, and was awarded 12 GCSEs and three A-levels.

The choice of school for George has not come as a surprise for fans, with The Good Schools' Guide managing editor Melanie Sanderson telling HELLO! it makes sense for the family.

Prince William playing football at Eton© Tim Graham Photo Library via Get
There are plenty of extra-curricular activities, including football

During an appearance on A Right Royal Podcast, she said: "You can see Eton College from Windsor Castle. So that would be lovely for George to be able to pop home. And the boys now are allowed a little bit of freedom to pop in and out of school at the weekends

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