A Future King Turns Thirteen With Eton Waiting In September
The British royal family officially has a teenager in the direct line of succession. Prince George, the eldest child of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, celebrated his 13th birthday on July 22—and his next chapter is already waiting at the school gates.
The milestone was marked with a new official portrait photographed by Matt Porteous. George appears all grown up in a black suit and open-collar white shirt, delivering a relaxed smile that feels polished without turning his birthday into a miniature coronation rehearsal.
Thirteen is a major birthday for any kid. For George, it also arrives while he prepares to leave Lambrook School, where he has studied alongside younger siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and begin boarding at Eton College in September 2026.
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Explore Prince George’s official biography and revisit the history surrounding Britain’s modern royal family and his next school chapter.
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Kensington Palace confirmed in June that George will follow his father, Prince William, and uncle Prince Harry by attending the historic all-boys school near Windsor. The decision ended months of speculation over whether the young royal would choose Eton or follow his mother’s path to Marlborough College.
The move also creates a notable family shift. George has shared his school life with Charlotte and Louis at Lambrook, but Eton’s full-boarding structure means the three siblings will no longer move through the same daily school routine together.
George is currently second in line to the British throne, behind his father. That future has followed him since birth, but William and Catherine have generally introduced royal visibility in carefully measured doses instead of pushing him into a full schedule of public duties.
He has increasingly appeared at major family events, including Trooping the Colour, royal holiday services and high-profile sporting occasions. Yet his parents continue to balance those public moments with an upbringing designed to give George as much ordinary childhood space as his extraordinary position allows.
Does Turning 13 Bring New Royal Duties?
No formal royal responsibilities automatically begin at 13. George may continue appearing at selected family and national events, but those are carefully managed ceremonial appearances—not constitutional work or a required teenage royal schedule.
He is also still too young to serve as a Counsellor of State, one of the royals who can carry out certain legal functions when the monarch is abroad or temporarily unable to act. Those roles generally go to the first four adults in the line of succession who are over 21, although the heir apparent can qualify at 18. George is second in line, while Prince William remains the heir apparent.
Even in the highly unlikely event that George became king before turning 18, he would not immediately be expected to perform the monarch’s full constitutional role. A regent would exercise most royal functions until he reached adulthood.
Will George Receive Special Future-King Schooling?
Eton has not announced a separate royal curriculum for George. He is expected to follow the school’s regular Year 9 academic program alongside his classmates, complete homework in his boarding house, sit internal examinations and choose from the school’s extensive sports, music, drama and society programs.
Like every new Eton student, George will have his own study-bedroom inside a boarding house, support from a House Master and Dame, and a personal tutor who helps oversee his academic progress and transition into school life. Eton also schedules a weekly SPHERE lesson covering social, political, health, economic, relationship, environmental and employability topics.
His experience will still be different in one unavoidable way: security and privacy. George will attend school as an ordinary pupil academically, but as a future king growing up in the social-media age, his protection and public exposure will require far more planning than thee average new boarder.
That balance becomes more complicated in the teenage years. Eton will bring new independence, traditions and responsibilities, while George will enter adolescence under a level of public attention that did not exist when his father began there in 1995—especially in an age when nearly every classmate carries a camera and social media can turn a private moment public within seconds.
Still, the birthday portrait keeps the emphasis where it belongs: George is a 13-year-old beginning a major new phase of life, not a working royal being rushed toward the crown.
Prince George’s Teenage Milestone In Pictures
Scenes from TODAY’s report trace George’s birthday milestone, royal upbringing and the major school transition now ahead.
Prince George’s teenage milestone and next school chapter. Images via TODAY.
Officially a teenager. Soon to be an Eton student. Still facing the universal birthday challenge of having the entire family stare while everyone sings at slightly different speeds. Prince George’s big new era has arrived.
Watch TODAY’s Report On Prince George Turning 13 And Heading To Eton
NBC’s Kaylee Hartung reports on Prince George’s teenage milestone, his official birthday portrait and the major school transition ahead.
Source: TODAY, Kensington Palace, The Royal Family, Eton College and the UK House of Commons Library.
