When Prince George begins his first term at Eton College this September, he will not only follow in the footsteps of his father, Prince William, but also honor a path first shaped by his late grandmother, Princess Diana . The decision to send the 13-year-old future king to the prestigious Berkshire boarding school marks a generational break with royal tradition, a change that royal biographers attribute to Diana's influence over William's own education three decades ago.

For generations, Britain's royal princes were expected to attend Gordonstoun in Scotland, the demanding boarding school that educated both King Charles and the late Prince Philip . William, however, broke with that tradition in 1995 when he became the first future king in decades to enroll at Eton instead. According to royal author Simon Vigar, a veteran royal correspondent who has covered the monarchy since 1997, that pivotal decision was largely driven by Diana . The princess believed Eton offered the right balance between academic excellence and family life, according to Vigar.

Diana's connection to Eton was deeply personal. Both her father and her brother, the late Earl Spencer, had studied there . Its location, just a short drive from Windsor Castle, meant William could remain much closer to home than he would have been at Gordonstoun in the Scottish Highlands. When William arrived at Eton in September 1995, both Diana and King Charles—despite their separation—were there to support him, with a young Prince Harry also joining for the traditional first-day ceremonies.

Just two years later, following Diana's tragic death in Paris in 1997, Eton became a place of stability for William during one of the most difficult periods of his life . Royal biographers have often described the school as a refuge where the future Prince of Wales found support from friends and teachers while continuing his education away from the intense public spotlight that had so consumed his mother.

Why this matters

The decision to send George to Eton—after careful consideration with the Princess of Wales—continues a quiet revolution in royal education that began with William . By opting for the school her father and brother attended, Diana helped steer the monarchy away from the Gordonstoun tradition favored by her ex-husband's family, a choice that underscores her enduring influence over her sons' upbringing and now, by extension, her grandson's. With George joining Harry and his great-uncle among Eton's alumni, Diana's vision for a more grounded, family-centric royal education appears to have taken root across multiple generations .

Three decades after William first walked through Eton's gates, the school remains a place of continuity. Its broad co-curricular program and strong academic standards continue to attract royal pupils . For Prince George, as for his father before him, it offers the same blend of academic rigor and relative proximity to home that Diana once considered essential.