Prince George is entering a noticeably more grown-up chapter of his life. An official portrait of the 13-year-old royal has been released at Eton College, showing the future king looking strikingly mature as he begins his education at the prestigious boarding school.
For the portrait, George appears in Eton’s traditional uniform. Gone is the more casual schoolboy image royal watchers have become accustomed to seeing. Instead, he wears a formal black tailcoat over a waistcoat and white shirt, paired with finely striped trousers.
The new photographs immediately highlight just how much the young prince has changed. At 13, George is beginning to look less like the little boy who once appeared beside William and Kate at royal engagements and increasingly like a teenager preparing for a more independent stage of his life.
His biggest challenge at Eton may not necessarily come from the classroom. Experts believe maintaining privacy could prove particularly difficult for George. His father, Prince William, and uncle, Prince Harry, attended the school long before social media became such an unavoidable part of teenage life.
George will have a very different experience. With smartphones and social platforms everywhere, virtually any fellow pupil could potentially become the source of private information escaping beyond the school grounds.
William and Kate Middleton were both beside their eldest son when he arrived for his first day, accompanying him as he began the important transition.
Eton was founded in 1440 and remains England’s largest boys’ boarding school. George is also continuing a family tradition there. William studied at the college between 1995 and 2000, while Harry attended from 1998 until 2003.
The release of George’s formal portrait now marks the beginning of another royal generation at Eton — and offers a striking reminder of how quickly William and Kate’s eldest son has grown up.
Meanwhile, attention surrounding the wider royal family continues. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently reacted to a letter from King Charles III concerning their status. Palace insiders maintain that Harry’s team had been shown the wording in advance, although they did not participate in drafting it.
