Princess Catherine and Prince William | Source: Getty Images
Prince George Makes His Eton Debut Alongside William and Catherine, and Netizens Can’t Stop Talking About One Detail — Photos
Sep 09, 2026 - 03:58 A.M.
Prince George arrived at Eton with William and Catherine for his first day, but the new photos soon shifted the focus to how much the royal teen has grown.
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George walked into Eton between his parents before appearing in the school’s distinctive formal dress. The photographs that followed soon had commenters remarking on just how much the young prince had changed.
George began his education at Eton College on September 8, 2026, accompanied by his parents, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales.
The first photographs showed George arriving in a dark navy suit, white shirt, and patterned navy tie. Later, William and Catherine shared three formal portraits of their eldest son on their official Instagram account with the caption, "George's first day at Eton."
Born on July 22, 2013, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, according to the Royal Family's official website, George has grown up in the public eye. His arrival at Eton offered a new marker of how quickly those years have passed.
The school already has strong ties to his family. CNN reported that William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, both attended Eton.
William started at Eton in September 1995, when photographs showed him arriving with his mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales; his father, King Charles III; and younger brother, Harry. In 1998, Harry followed him to Eton.
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William arrived at Eton in 1995 with the late Diana, Princess of Wales; his father, now King Charles III; and Prince Harry. Decades later, William would return to the school for George’s first day. | Source: Getty Images
According to People, other royals who studied there include Prince Edward, Duke of Kent; Prince Michael of Kent; and Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
Eton's own history stretches back nearly six centuries. The school's official history says Henry VI founded it in 1440 as "Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore."
Its original foundation provided housing and education for 70 boys known as King's Scholars, while other pupils, known as Oppidans, paid for their accommodation. Eton now has 24 boarding houses in addition to College, where King's Scholars live, and since 2002, applicants have earned places through interviews, tests, and references.
Harry arrived at Eton in 1998 with his father, now King Charles III, and housemaster Dr. Andrew Gailey. His enrollment followed William’s and preceded George’s arrival nearly three decades later. | Source: Getty Images
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George's arrival was a more personal scene. The young royal smiled as he walked between his parents in the rain, at one point turning toward William during a lighthearted moment.
Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were not seen with William and Catherine in the photographs. The images showed the couple accompanying George as he entered the school.
Catherine wore a dark green, long-sleeved midi dress with a fitted waist and flared skirt and carried a large black umbrella with a curved wooden handle. William wore a dark suit, a striped shirt with a blue tie, and carried a closed umbrella.
The family crossed School Yard, Eton's cobblestoned quadrangle, where a statue of the founder stands. Principal Simon Henderson and provost Nicholas Coleridge met them there and spoke with the family for several minutes.
The principal welcomed George with a few words: "Welcome, good luck, enjoy it."
After arriving in a suit, George changed into Eton's formal school uniform: a black tailcoat over a fitted black waistcoat and white shirt, paired with a stiff white collar, dark pinstriped trousers, and polished black shoes. His light brown hair was swept neatly to one side.
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In one portrait, he beamed at the camera with his hands tucked into his pockets. In another, he stood beneath a stone archway with his hands clasped in front of him.
The portraits made George's more mature appearance especially noticeable. Social media users commented on how much he had grown and compared his features with those of other family members.
On Facebook, one user wrote, "Oh goodness George is a Middleton, strongly with his mother's features and coloring. Don't see anything of William. But maybe over time that will change."
Another commenter made the same comparison more playfully: "Did William's genes even try?" A third user focused on his demeanor, writing, "I see a huge confidence difference between the two. Different times back then."
Another simply remarked, "Very handsome and intelligent." In another discussion, attention turned to the family photographs. One user asked, "William couldn't hold the umbrella?"
Another was struck by George's height beside Catherine: "Bet he's taller than his Mum when she isn't in heels now! Beautiful photos of them. Best of luck to George. Wonder if he'll behave like his Dad or like his uncle Harry did at school. 😆"
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A separate commenter made an even more direct comparison with William: "He's almost as tall as his father!" Someone else returned to the rainy arrival, writing, "She had to hold her own umbrella!"
Catherine's expression then prompted a different reaction.
On the same platform, one observer wrote, "Mom has the look of a concerned mom." A different person offered a different reading of the moment: "Mum and Dad so proud."
The reactions to George continued on Instagram, where his formal portraits prompted comments about his increasingly mature appearance.
One royal watcher wrote, "He is most handsome prince in Europe ! 😁😁🤭 [sic]" Another remarked, "A handsome and charming young man. He looks very poised and mature 😍👍💯🔥."
A different supporter saw a resemblance to his late great-grandmother, writing, "What a handsome young man.. Bdw, his teeth is like the late queen Elizabeth [sic]."
The comments included comparisons with Catherine's family and the late Queen Elizabeth II, as well as observations about George's height and mature appearance.
The day also echoed William's own arrival at Eton. More than three decades after beginning there himself, William returned with Catherine to accompany George on his first day.
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The photographs also offered a reminder of how quickly the years have passed for a prince the public has watched grow up. Now 13, George arrived at Eton with his parents, looking noticeably older in the formal portraits that prompted comments about his increasingly mature appearance.
2013
George’s story in the public eye began almost immediately after his birth, when William and Catherine left the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital with their newborn son on July 23. Seen against his Eton photographs at 13, the image provides a clear starting point for how much time has passed.
2014
Still a baby, George joined other children at a parents’ group event at Government House in Wellington on April 9. The playful moment came during William and Catherine’s first official overseas trip with their son.
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Less than a year later, George joined William and Catherine on their first official overseas trip with their son, including a visit to Sydney’s Taronga Zoo on April 20. The baby prince’s encounter with a bilby named George became one of the early public moments in a childhood increasingly documented alongside his parents.
2015
George returned to the Lindo Wing with William on May 2 as the family welcomed Princess Charlotte. Less than two years after leaving the same hospital as a newborn, he was back as an older brother.
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2016
At 3, George waved as he departed Victoria at the end of William and Catherine’s royal tour of Canada on Oct. 1. By then, overseas appearances had become another visible marker of the young prince growing up in public.
2017
A more direct preview of George's Eton milestone came on September 7, when the 4-year-old arrived for his first day at Thomas’s Battersea. Nine years later, another first day of school would show just how much he had changed.
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2018
George joined Princess Charlotte and other young attendants for Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding at St. George’s Chapel on Oct. 12. At 5, his role as a page boy placed him in another major royal occasion as his childhood unfolded in public.
2019
George appeared beside Princess Charlotte on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour on June 8. The siblings watched the flypast together, capturing George at 5 during one of the royal family’s most established public traditions.
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2020
At 7, George attended a special pantomime performance at the London Palladium on Dec. 11 honoring key workers and their families during the pandemic. Six years before his Eton debut, the appearance captures another stage in the childhood that viewers have watched unfold year by year.
2021
At 7, George joined William and Catherine at Wembley Stadium for the UEFA Euro 2020 final between England and Italy on July 11. Dressed in a suit and tie, he appeared alongside his parents for one of the year's biggest sporting events.
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2022
George's public appearances took on a more solemn tone when he attended the Service of Thanksgiving for his late great-grandfather, Prince Philip, at Westminster Abbey on March 29, 2022. Dressed in a navy suit and tie, he was nearing 9 as his role at major royal family occasions became more visible.
Later that year, George joined the celebrations for his late great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, attending the Platinum Pageant on June 5. The appearance captured him at 8 during the celebrations marking the monarch’s 70 years on the throne.
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2023
George took on a prominent role at the coronation of his grandfather, King Charles III, on May 6, serving as a Page of Honor. At 9, he later watched the RAF flypast from Buckingham Palace, placing him at the heart of one of the royal family’s most significant occasions.
2024
By Christmas 2024, George was 11 and attending the royal family’s Christmas morning service at Sandringham. The close-up portrait offers another clear point in the timeline between the young boy of his earlier appearances and the teenager who would begin at Eton less than two years later.
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2025
At 11, George attended Trooping the Colour on June 14, appearing in a dark suit and red tie. With his 12th birthday only weeks away, the photograph shows how close he was to the teenage years that would bring another major milestone: his first day at Eton in 2026.
George accompanied Catherine to the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at London’s Royal Albert Hall on November 8. At 12, the appearance showed him taking part in a major commemorative event alongside his mother.
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2026
George walked between William and Catherine as he arrived at Eton on a rainy Sept. 8. At 13, his first day offered a clear reminder of how much he had grown since his earliest public appearances.
George turned toward William during a lighthearted moment as Catherine walked beside them under an umbrella. The family arrival captured the parents accompanying their eldest son into his next stage of education.
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George posed beneath a stone archway in Eton’s formal tailcoat, waistcoat, and pinstriped trousers. The first-day portrait marked a sharp contrast with his earlier childhood school photos. | Source: Instagram/princeandprincessofwales
In another full-length portrait, George stood beside a stone column in his new Eton uniform. His increasingly mature appearance became a recurring theme among commenters. | Source: Instagram/princeandprincessofwales
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With the first-day photographs behind him, Prince George now turns to life at Eton and the experiences that will shape the years ahead.
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