Last month, after lots of speculation and rumour, it was confirmed that Prince William and Princess Kate's eldest son, Prince George, will be sent to Eton in September. The elite all-boys school costs £63,298 per year, and it is synonymous with the upper echelons of British society.
Royal biographer and historian Hugo Vickers, who is a former alum of the iconic institution, has spoken out about his experience there and revealed a nerve-wracking test that Prince George will face when he arrives at the prestigious school. Hugo explained in a piece for The Times that the pupils are all quizzed by a group of senior peers, with very little time to prepare for the grilling. One of George's first trials will be his "colours test", for which he must memorise the location of school buildings and the official colours of each of its 25 boarding houses.
© Jeff Spicer/Getty ImagesAs a fellow Etonian, his father, Prince William, may be able to brief his son to prepare him ahead of the test. The royal youngster, who turns 13 later this month, will certainly be thrust into a very different world at Eton from the one he's been used to at Lambrook School in Berkshire.
What will Prince George learn at Eton?
© Corbis via Getty ImagesAccording to Eton's website, George will have an incredible 28 subjects to get stuck into, including "nine Modern and Classical Languages". Among the subjects on offer are traditional ones like English literature, mathematics and the three sciences: biology, chemistry and physics.
The rest of the curriculum consists of Ancient History, Latin, Greek, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, History (medieval, early modern or modern), History of Art, Geography, Design, Art, Music, Theology, Theatre Studies, Economics, Government and Politics, Music Technology and Computer Science.
What was Prince William's experience at Eton?
Prince William once remarked that he "really enjoyed being able to go about Eton as just another student," and didn't feel "like he was special" at the school.
© GettyHowever, Grace Moody-Stuart, The Good Schools Guide's Consultancy Director, told HELLO! that it wasn't a straightforward decision. She believes the royal couple has demonstrated "a dedication" to searching for schools for their kids. "They haven't just gone 'Oh, I went to Eton, therefore my son's going to Eton,' which is what a lot of Etonian fathers do. They've really looked at other options," she says.
Over 60 per cent of HELLO! readers have said that Prince William has made the right decision to send his eldest son to the iconic school. Have your say on the debate via our poll.
