As Prince George edges closer to his teenage years, 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most transformative periods of his young life. The future King will not only turn 13, but will also take the significant step of leaving Lambrook School in Berkshire, preparing to begin senior school as a Year 9 pupil in September.
For any family, the move to secondary school can be emotional. For Kate Middleton and Prince William, it carries even greater weight. Royal expert Katie Nicholl says the coming year will bring “a really big transition for them as a family,” adding that change has never frightened the Waleses. She believes George is “more than ready for this next stage.”
Kate, in particular, is expected to feel the shift deeply. She has been a constant presence at Lambrook since George started there in 2022, known for her hands-on approach to her children’s education — cheering at sports matches, chatting with other parents, and even joining charity school events. During her cancer treatment, those everyday moments took on special meaning, with Kate previously admitting that on days she felt well enough, being involved in school life brought her real joy.
While Kensington Palace has yet to confirm George’s next school, speculation has long centred on two elite institutions: Eton College in Berkshire and Marlborough College in Wiltshire. Both are highly prestigious, with annual fees reportedly around £60,000, and both hold deep personal connections for the royal couple.
Eton famously educated William and his brother Harry, while Marlborough is where Kate completed her A-levels after an unhappy period at Downe House. Royal biographer Hugo Vickers believes Eton is the frontrunner, describing it as “always ahead of the curve” and noting its proximity to the family’s Windsor home. He also recalled how William thrived there academically, supported by housemaster Dr Andrew Gailey during the painful period following Princess Diana’s death — a man who later attended William and Kate’s wedding in 2011.
Marlborough, however, offers a different appeal. It is co-educational and already part of Kate’s own story. After transferring there at 14, she grew in confidence and even captained the school hockey team. The school also has a royal pedigree, counting Princess Eugenie among its former pupils. According to reports, Kate has been drawn to the idea that George, Charlotte and Louis could one day share the same school experience, just as she did with her siblings Pippa and James.
Despite the weight of George’s destiny as a future monarch, experts agree that his parents are united on one crucial condition: they want his secondary school years to feel as normal as possible. Vickers notes that while George played a highly symbolic role as a page at King Charles’s Coronation, there are still “two generations before he gets to the throne,” leaving him plenty of time to simply be a child.
Katie Nicholl adds that William and Kate are determined to protect that sense of normality, even as they acknowledge how different life will feel once George boards. She points out that the children have already faced major changes — moving from London to Windsor, losing their great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, and supporting their mother through illness. Yet, she believes those experiences have made them resilient.
“They are very secure in their home life,” Nicholl says, adding that George is likely feeling excited rather than anxious about what lies ahead — a testament, she believes, to the steady and thoughtful parenting of William and Kate.
