The question of where Prince William and Kate Middleton’s eldest son will go to secondary school is currently dominating PTAs up and down the country

Prince George is rumoured to be attending Eton College next September – and a house for the future King is said to have already been selected

Rumours about which school Prince George, heir to the throne, will attend next September have been rife over the last few weeks – and nowhere have more notes been passed under the desk and Chinese whispers circulated in the playground than at Eton College, the alleged frontrunner. The 12-year-old Prince is thought to be lined up to attend his father’s alma mater after his final year at Lambrook School, and it’s even said that he has already been allocated a house.

Although nothing has been confirmed by the Palace, if George has been assigned to one of Eton’s 25 houses – which will form the foundation of his secondary school education – it is a clear indicator of what’s to come in September 2026. It was previously reported that Kate Middleton had hoped to send Prince George to her own former school, Marlborough College, where the mixed education would have meant that the young royal could later be joined by Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis as they, too, graduate from Lambrook School in Berkshire – just as Kate studied alongside her sister Pippa and her brother James.

The Wales children currently all attend Lambrook School in Berkshire

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Indeed, the Waleses were reportedly seen on a secret visit to Marlborough and, in January, insiders told The Mail on Sunday that it was nigh on confirmed that the heir would be heading there. The Princess of Wales, they said, had her heart so set on sending her son to the £59,000-a-year Wiltshire school where she was crowned ‘most likely to be loved by everybody’ in her yearbook. ‘Parents have been talking about nothing else, and discussions have really ramped up in recent weeks, but security is obviously a massive consideration,’ a source told the outlet, with the assumption being that George would board at C1 house, located around the college’s main quad.

Then, there were whispers that Kate Middleton was considering the Northamptonshire-based Oundle School instead – with the view that Marlborough College had become too flashy for the future King. These days, however, Prince William’s former school appears to be the favourite, with insiders telling the Mail on Sunday that the die is cast, and ‘all roads lead to Eton’. According to well-placed sources, there is a ‘smugness’ radiating from the gates of the famous school, where Prince William and Prince Harry both cut their teeth in the 90s. ‘It was like: “I know something, and the people at Eton know something, but I’m not going to tell you,”’ the source told the newspaper.

The couple, who are said to have ‘outgrown’ their current home on the Windsor estate, might trade their cottage in for a more impressive residence

Prince William broke the royal mould when he attended Eton College, where he thrived as captain of the swimming team

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Reportedly, the Prince and Princess of Wales made a hush-hush prospective visit to the £63,000-per-year school ahead of the Easter Holidays earlier this year. ‘It’s the talk of the school, and of the parents,’ a source told Richard Eden at the time. Little wonder: is there any faster way to climb the social power index than getting your youngster invited to birthday parties with the future King at Kensington Palace?

If Prince George were to study at Eton, he would join one of the most esteemed lists of alumni in the country: think 20 Prime Ministers, Tom Hiddleston, and George Orwell. It would also be incredibly convenient for the family, who live just a short drive away at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park. Even if they move (it’s reported that the family are considering upgrading to a bigger home on the estate) the Waleses would still be in close proximity to the school.

Prince George’s prospective enrolment at Eton is said to be ‘the talk of the school’

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Prince Charles and Princess Diana broke from royal tradition when they chose to send Prince William to Eton. Charles, Prince Philip, the Duke of York, and Prince Edward had all gone to Gordonstoun, but the now-King found the Scottish school to be such a trial that he was happy to give a new spot the royal seal of approval. William thrived at the Berkshire boarding school, joining the elite club of prefects, captaining the swimming team and playing rugby with Eddie Redmayne.

Given his happy memories of his own school days, it seems likely that Prince William would want his eldest son to enjoy the same experience – and surely, we won’t have long to wait to find out whether Prince George is set to don that famous uniform of pinstripe trousers and black tailcoat…