Prince George will one day take the throne after his father, Prince William. For now, however, the 13-year-old is settling into a very different role: student at one of Britain’s most prestigious schools.
Prince George may have only just started at Eton College, but his first official school portraits have already sparked plenty of attention online – and there’s one detail in particular that has caught royal fans’ eyes.
The 13-year-old future king began his time at the prestigious private school on Tuesday, following in the footsteps of both his father, Prince William, and his uncle, Prince Harry.
While royal fans were naturally interested in seeing George in his new school uniform, something about the new images quickly became the focus of the conversation.
His first official school portraits
Kensington Palace shared portraits of George on social media shortly after he arrived at the school. In the pictures, the young prince can be seen smiling, and it didn’t take long for people to start pointing out the detail that had caught their attention.
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One social media user placed pictures of the father and son side by side, writing: “Like father, like son! Prince William and Prince George on their first day at Eton College almost 30 years apart.”
Another wrote: “Father and Son in their Eton uniform,” while someone else commented: “Like father, like son! The resemblance is incredible, even nearly 30 years apart.”
“He looks so grown up”
The comments on The Prince and Princess of Wales’ official Instagram quickly filled with support and well-wishes.
“He looks so grown up. And such a lovely mix of both William & Catherine! Wishing Prince George good luck and every success as he studies at Eton,” one person wrote.
Another person commented: “What a proud expression, he looks so happy to be entering this important stage of his life. Wishing him all the very best for this new and meaningful chapter of growth and learning.”
And a third one added: “I hope he has the time of his life and develops life long friendships.”
George is following a family tradition at Eton
George’s enrollment means he is now attending the same school his father attended in the 1990s. William went to Eton from 1995 to 2001, while Harry attended the school between 1998 and 2003.
George was dropped off at the school by William and Kate Middleton before being greeted by Eton’s headmaster, Simon Henderson.
The school is one of the UK’s most prestigious private educational institutions and has 25 boarding houses. Each house accommodates 55 students between the ages of 13 and 18, with residential staff responsible for looking after the students.
A school portrait is a record of a moment as much as a likeness. Viewers may notice a familiar smile or expression, while the photograph also marks the beginning of another chapter. That combination explains why these images invite such personal reactions: they allow people to recognize continuity across generations while seeing a young person gradually develop an identity of his own.
