Prince William Broke with Royal Tradition to Attend Eton
Royal children had previously attended Gordonstoun in Scotland; but Princess Diana's father and brother had attended Eton.
When Prince William enrolled at Eton College in 1995, he became the first senior royal to enroll in the school in Berkshire, England. His father, Prince Charles, and grandfather, Prince Philip, both went to a boarding school in Scotland, Gordonstoun, but Princess Diana's brother and father had both attended Eton. (Additionally, while Queen Elizabeth was not a student, she did lessons at Eton in constitutional history.)
During his time at the all boys' school, Prince William was largely protected from the press. The chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, John Wakeham, said of the agreement, "Prince William is not an institution; nor a soap star; nor a football hero. He is a boy: in the next few years, perhaps the most important and sometimes painful part of his life, he will grow up and become a man." Therefore, there are limited photos of William at Eton—the bulk of the pictures of the young prince come from his first day of school in 1995, which was also depicted in season five of The Crown and from his last year (1999-2000) which features in the show's final season.
Here, see the best photos of Prince William during his time as a student at Eton College:
Arriving at Eton
Prince William's family—his parents Princess Diana and Prince Charles, and brother Prince Harry—accompanied him for a photocall at Eton before his first day of school.
Prince William was 13 years old when he started at Eton; the school is located right near Windsor Castle.
Prince William was the most senior member of the royal family to go to Eton, but not the first royal—other royals who attended the school include Queen Elizabeth's first cousins Prince Edward, Duke of Kent; Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince Michael of Kent.
Prince Harry held his mom Princess Diana's hand as they dropped Prince William off at school. Harry would follow his older brother to Eton three years later, in 1998.
One Eton tradition is that all new students sign a book before starting at the school; season five of The Crown recreated this moment.
Eton's history dates back to 1440, when King Henry VI founded the school. It has always been a boys-only boarding school.
Andrew Gailey, Prince William's house master, greets the royal family. Prince William lived in Manor House.
Gailey pictured with the two princes. Prince Harry would also board at Manor House when he started at Eton.
A portrait of the young prince as he started Eton.
First full day
The Eton uniform consists of a tail-coat, waistcoat, and pin-striped trousers.
Prince William smiled for the cameras on his first day as a student.
These would be the only photographs permitted of the young prince during his first year at Eton.
Eton Tea Party (1996)
Each year, students from Eton attend the Eton Boys Tea Party at Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park—so while these photos are not at Eton, they are from Prince William's time as a student at Eton (and feature him in the school's uniform).
Prince William stares at the photographers during the Eton Tea Party.
Eton Tea Party (1999)
A few years later, another glimpse of Prince William with his classmates at the Eton Tea Party in Windsor.
Prince William, whose fingers were taped due to injury, checked his watch.
Senior Year
Prince William posed for this portrait for his 18th birthday, wearing a Union Jack vest with the words "Groovy Baby" across the bottom.
For his senior year, Prince William took a series of staged photographs of his life at Eton, including this one at a computer.
The shoot included William making chicken paella for a cooking class.
He wore an apron over his uniform.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
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