Prince Harry has previously described the unusual traditions and vocabulary that Prince George will soon encounter when he starts at Eton College. George recently turned 13 on July 22, 2026, and has been confirmed to attend Eton College sometime in September. The young royal will follow in the footsteps of both his father and his uncle at the famous boarding school. Prince Harry started there in 1998 and later described the experience in his 2023 memoir, Spare, saying that arriving at Eton was a major shock because of the school’s traditions, uniform and unfamiliar language.
“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,” Harry said on his memoir. “In my case, mission accomplished.”
The Duke of Sussex said that many ordinary school words have different names at Eton. Classes are known as “divs,” teachers are called “beaks,” and homework is called “Extra Work,” often shortened to “EW.” George will reportedly enter F Block, the name Eton uses for the school year normally called Year 9 in the United Kingdom. According to Prince Harry, even lunch has its own name and is called “Dinner.” Eton even maintains an official glossary to explain the many terms used by students and staff on its official website.
Like father, like son! 👑 Kensington Palace has confirmed that Prince George, 12, will attend Eton College this September, following in his dad Prince William's footsteps. William started at the prestigious private school in 1995 at age 13, with Princess Diana, then-Prince… pic.twitter.com/EL9twbZm4H
— HELLO! Canada (@HelloCanada) June 16, 2026
Prince Harry also recalled that his older brother William wanted independence when Harry arrived at the school. According to the Duke, his brother asked him to act as though they did not know each other because Eton had become his personal space. “He was forging his own life, and he wasn’t willing to give that up,” he confessed in the book. Harry eventually focused on sports, especially rugby, and has said that sports helped him stay engaged with school. Eton was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI and has since then educated many British political and public figures.
