Prince George’s New Portraits Have a Heartwarming Hidden Connection to Prince William
Prince George’s New Portraits Have a Heartwarming Hidden Connection to Prince William
Rachel BurchfieldThu, September 10, 2026 at 12:36 PM UTC
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Prince George and Prince William on August 1, 2026.Credit: GettyThe Gist -
On September 8, Prince George was dropped off at Eton College by his parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Later that day, official portraits of the 13-year-old future king were released, shot by Matt Porteous and showing George in his full Eton uniform.
The photos have a heartwarming hidden connection to William, who also attended the prestigious all-boys’ school.
Prince George looked so grown up in new portraits taken in his Eton College uniform—and the shots had a heartwarming hidden connection to his father, Prince William, who also attended the all-boys’ school.
In the photos released on September 8—timed to coincide with the 13-year-old future king arriving at Eton—George wore the same uniform that his father once wore when he enrolled at the school in 1995. In the images shot by photographer Matt Porteous, George smiled at the camera in Eton’s iconic uniform: a black tailcoat, waistcoat, a white collar, and pinstriped trousers. In one image, he stands under an archway, leaning up against one of the columns of Eton’s Lower School in another photo.
Poignantly, as People noted, the snaps were taken in the exact same spot that William once was photographed at when he was a student at Eton. While George is 13 and beginning his career there, William’s photos were taken for his milestone 18th birthday in 2000.
Prince William in 2000.Credit: Getty
Prince William in 2000.Credit: Getty
On Tuesday, George arrived on campus with William and Kate Middleton, but wasn’t wearing his Eton uniform just yet. He arrived in what is referred to as “home clothes”—a dark blazer, shirt, tie, chinos, and brown suede shoes. George will soon grow accustomed to his school uniform, but, like his uncle Prince Harry wrote in his 2023 memoir Spare, it may take some adjustment. Like William, Harry attended Eton, as did 20 U.K. prime ministers, for starters.
Princess Kate, Prince George, and Prince William arrive at Eton College on September 8, 2026.Credit: Getty Images
The Duke of Sussex wrote that it took him “forever” to get dressed on his first morning of school: “I didn’t even know how to get dressed in the morning,” he wrote in the pages of Spare. “Every Etonian was required to wear a black tailcoat, white collarless shirt, white stiff collar pinned to the shirt with a stud—plus pinstripe trousers, heavy black shoes, and a tie that wasn’t a tie, more like a cloth strip folded into the white detachable collar.”
According to Melanie Sanderson, managing editor at The Good Schools Guide, laundry is done for the boys at Eton “because there is so much kit and uniform,” she told People. “When you buy your uniform for Eton, the name labels are hand-stitched in for you, and when you arrive on the first day, it’s hanging on your peg in your bedroom waiting for you.”
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Prince William and Prince George at Wimbledon on July 12, 2026.Credit: Getty
Eton “was a much-needed haven for William,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told People. “It will give George a rigorous education that he will need for his role.” The Prince and Princess of Wales “carried out a lot of research to make the right decision,” Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary Ailsa Anderson told the outlet. A source further explained that George “has always wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps.”
“William loved his time at Eton, but he would have thought about what school would be the best for George’s strengths, qualities, and personality,” Anderson added.
On Tuesday, William, Kate, and George shook hands with Eton’s headmaster Simon Henderson and provost Sir Nicholas Coleridge. Per Hello!, Henderson told George, “Welcome. Good luck. Enjoy it.”
The group braved the rain, which Coleridge called, “Typical.” William replied, “If it rains, it rains for ages.”
Princess Kate, Prince George, and Prince William at Eton College on September 8, 2026.Credit: Getty Images
At one point, William struggled with his umbrella, prompting laughter from George. At another point, Kate protectively put a hand on her eldest child’s back. After George’s portraits were posted to the Prince and Princess of Wales’s social media accounts, Kate’s brother James Middletonsummed it all up in two words, commenting—simply but profoundly—“Big day.” He added a heart emoji for good measure.
on InStyle
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
