Prince William and Princess Kate‘s son Prince George is preparing for his next chapter at Eton College.

Royal author Robert Jobson told the the Daily Mail in an article published Saturday, July 18, that the young royal — who will turn 13 on Wednesday, July 22 — asked his parents, both 44, if he “could board weekly” at Lambrook School, where he currently studies, to test the waters.

“They agreed,” Jobson told the Mail. “It helped him grow, to be part of a collective.”

As In Touch previously reported, Kensington Palace announced last month that George will begin attending Eton College in Berkshire this September. The historic private school — founded in the 15th century and attended by 20 British prime ministers — charges fees of around £63,000 (or about $85,000) a year.

“Eton will be a challenge, but being close to home, in the shadow of Windsor Castle will help,” Jobson said. “But the environment will protect him like it did his father who thrived there.”

George’s father attended Eton, as did his uncle Prince Harry and great uncle Earl Spencer.

Describing George as a “smart” young man who “loves history,” Jobson said the soon-to-be teenager’s time at Eton will likely be different from his father’s experience.

“William walked into Eton carrying his parents’ marital war,” he said, referring to King Charles III‘s tumultuous relationship with the late Princess Diana. “George walks in from a settled home. Two parents, together, who built him a base and guard it fiercely. Confidence is not taught. It is absorbed.”

Still, according to Jobson, George “has not been spared pain.”

“He watched his mother fight and beat cancer,” Jobson said. “He watched his grandfather live with it. He has emerged steadier.”

In Touch previously reported that the Princess of Wales — who announced in January 2025 that her cancer is in remission — has had reservations about sending George away to boarding school, with a source saying in 2023 that “she’ll miss George desperately.”

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