Prince George, 12, Will Attend Eton College Starting September 2026

Prince George, 12, will begin studies at Eton College in September 2026, GB News reported. The announcement, made earlier this week, ends months of speculation about the future schooling of the second in line to the throne. Eton College educates 1,350 pupils at annual fees of £63,300.

Approximately 100 students attend on full bursaries. The college operates the Eton Sports and Aquatics Centre, which royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams cited as one reason the Prince and Princess of Wales selected the school. Prince William and Prince Harry both attended Eton.

The decision places Prince George in the same Berkshire institution as his father and uncle. Alastair Chirnside is the leading contender to become Eton's next head master, GB News reported. An announcement naming the successor is expected in the coming weeks.

Chirnside currently serves as warden at St Edward's School in Oxford and was himself a King's Scholar at Eton, an honour given to 14 pupils annually. Chirnside achieved a congratulatory first in classics and French at Merton College, Oxford. He worked as a fund manager at Schroders in London before returning to Eton to teach classics.

He later became deputy head at Harrow and took the helm at St Edward's in 2021. At St Edward's, Chirnside reinstated landlines in boarding houses and prohibited mobile phones on weekdays for most students. Charles Bonas, founder of elite schools advisory firm Bonas MacFarlane, said the favourite for the Eton post is probably Chirnside.

Simon Henderson was appointed head master of Eton in 2015 at age 39. He announced last month that he will depart in September 2027. Charity Commission records show Henderson earned between £450,000 and £459,000 in 2024-2025, up from £260,000 to £270,000 in 2021-22.