Prince George will mark his 13th birthday on July 22 as he prepares to begin boarding school, following in the footsteps of his father, Prince William.
The future king’s time at Lambrook School officially ended on July 4. Pupils do not start at Eton College—where all boys board—until early September, in line with broader English term times. George’s birthday on Wednesday therefore falls in the middle of the summer break.
Why It Matters
Thirteen may sound like an unremarkable age to children outside the British private schooling system, but it marks a key transition point for those preparing to attend the country’s most elite fee-paying schools.
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Preparatory school typically ends at 13. Those who go on to boarding school remain there for the rest of their education. Eton will therefore be George’s home during term time from September until he graduates at 18.
Prince George’s Year
George’s 12th birthday was marked with an official portrait—showing him in a gilet leaning against a wooden gate—alongside a family video. Fans of the Wales family will be keeping an eye out for a new image as he turns 13.
The prince was not seen over the summer, which is typical as the royal family retreats from public view during their break, usually spent at Balmoral, their private estate in Scotland.
Even once back at school, George stayed largely out of the limelight as he focused on his education, before a milestone first visit to the Festival of Remembrance, a significant moment in Britain’s annual commemoration of its war dead each November.
George joined the Princess of Wales at the Royal Albert Hall dressed in a suit with a red poppy badge on his lapel in support of charity the Royal British Legion.
His next appearance came in early December in support of his mother’s carol service “Together at Christmas,” held annually at Westminster Abbey.
George arrived with siblings Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte as well as their father Prince William, to join Princess Kate for the biggest event of her year. The family dressed in matching green outfits. The three children all wrote red cards to add to a “connection tree” at the abbey.
On Christmas Day, George joined the royal family’s traditional Sandringham walk to church during which George was filmed chatting to a member of the public, royal superfan John Loughrey, who told him: “Nanny Diana would be ever so proud of you.” George smiled as he replied: “Thank you.”
At Easter, in April, George attended the Mattins service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor with his family, when news outlets commented on his height.
An InStyle headline read: “Prince George Looks Nearly as Tall as 5’9″ Kate Middleton—Even in Her 4-Inch Heels—on Easter Sunday.”
George got to see both a swell of support for the royals and some protests by anti-monarchy campaigners from Republic at Trooping the Colour on June 13, 2026.
He sparked headlines too when he was filmed trying to hold his sneeze until the end of the national anthem, “God Save the King” on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
This prompted a brief laugh with his mother and a clip of the moment went viral on TikTok, where it was liked 30,000 times and viewed almost 700,000 times.
Prince George at 13—What the Next Year Brings
September will be a big moment for George, as it would be for any child starting a new school, though with the added excitement and trepidation that comes from joining one of the most elite boarding schools in the world.
Prince Harry described the experience as “a profound shock” in his book Spare and added: “The finest school in the world for boys, Eton was meant to be a shock, I think.
“Shock must’ve been part of its original charter, even perhaps a part of the instructions given to its first architects by the school’s founder, my ancestor Henry VI. He deemed Eton some sort of holy shrine, a sacred temple, and to that end he wanted it to overwhelm the senses, so visitors would feel like meek, abased pilgrims. In my case, mission accomplished.”
Eton College was founded in 1440 by Henry VI, making it 586 years old, and over more than five centuries it has changed significantly. Originally, all lessons were taught in Latin and for many years parents were able to simply put the names of their children down at birth to ensure a place.
The school’s website reads: “The 21st century has seen this widening continue, with parents no longer able to put their son’s name down at birth. Instead, from 2002, all boys have had to earn their place through interviews, tests and references.”
Once he starts, George will have a boarding house and each has around 55 boys supervised by a House Master and Dame, who also stay in contact with each boy’s parents.
Boys go home “every two or three weeks” with weekends away known as “Short Leave” and half term as “Long Leave.” William and Kate will also be able to go in to Eton to watch him compete in sport or perform in music or drama.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will not have far to travel since the family home is currently Forest Lodge, in Windsor, which is less than 10 miles and around 20 minutes by car. They moved out of nearby Adelaide Cottage in 2025.
“Of course the big advantage is that he’s near mum,” Ingrid Seward, author of royal biography My Mother and I, told Newsweek.
Police protection officers will need to be on hand because the pupils tend to explore Eton, a small town with a population of a little more than 5,000 people.
“The security at Eton is also difficult because they wander around the streets,” Seward said. “It’s part of the town. They have individual houses there so that is quite protected and, of course, there is room for the security detail, of which there’s obviously going to be 24-hour security surrounding him.
“They’re very well protected there but he still has to walk around the town or else he just can’t be one of the lads. I think they’ll have to let him just be as normal as possible but he’ll always have a security detail with him.”
For now though, George has the important matter of his 13th birthday and a long, slow summer, likely full of peaceful days in the Scottish countryside on the royal family’s Balmoral Estate.