Prince George beams as he arrives for first day at £63k-a-year Eton with proud William and Kate

Prince George beams as he arrives for first day at £63k-a-year Eton with proud William and Kate The Prince and Princess of Wales accompanied 13-year-old Prince George as he arrived for his first day at Eton College today, where he shook hands with his new headmaster Prince George has arrived for his first day at Eton College accompanied by his proud parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales. The 13-year-old second-in-line to the throne smiled as he walked up to the historic school building alongside mum Kate and dad Wiliam, where they were greeted by Eton headmaster, Simon Henderson. Dressed in "home clothes" - in George’s case a smart dark blazer, shirt, tie and chinos with brown suede shoes - the royals emerged from the arch beneath Lupton’s Tower, the 16th Century gatehouse clock tower, and walked across the cobbled school yard. Kate placed a protective arm on her son’s back as she guided him. The Waleses then paused level with a bronze statue of Henry VI, the school’s founder, which sits in the centre of the quadrangle, to shake hands with Mr Henderson, and Sir Nicholas Coleridge, the school’s Provost, who serves as the chair of the governing body. “Welcome,” Mr Henderson told him. “Good luck. Enjoy it.” William, in a matching outfit to his son, carried a closed umbrella while Kate, wearing a green dress, held one aloft against the seasonal back-to-school drizzle. William then made a joke about the weather saying: "If it rains, it rains for ages", with Sir Nicholas remarking: "Typical". The yard is the oldest part of the school alongside the College chapel where pupils attend services three times a week. After the welcome, George William and Kate were shown into the fourth form passage in the original school building, which is understood to house the world’s oldest classroom. Kate was seen placing a protective arm on her son’s back as the door was shut behind them. Like other families, Kate and William will help George settle into his new bedroom. Pupils from other years will return to Eton College when the school starts tomorrow. After the brief photocall and the picture release, it is William and Kate’s fervent wish that George’s education will take place away from public view. Signs have been posted around Windsor warning the public not to photograph the pupils when they are moving around the sprawling campus of school buildings between lessons. Other new intakes arrived later in the morning after the prince and his parents, and some will have brought their possessions in traditional boarding school trunks. It was confirmed by Kensington Palace back in June that George, a future King, would be following in the footsteps of his father, William and uncle Prince Harry, by enrolling at £63,000-a-year Eton. The announcement came after months of speculation about which school George would be attending for his secondary education. Other front-runners were believed to have been his mother's former school of Marlborough College, while William and Kate were also said to have recently been spotted touring Oundle School in Northamptonshire. However, they were reportedly spotted touring Eton with their eldest son back as far back as 2023, fuelling speculation the school was always high on their list of places to send George. William attended Eton between 1995 and 2000, where he boarded at Manor House. He became the most senior royal to attend the school, although others who were educated there included the Duke of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent and the Duke of Gloucester - and was seen as a departure from royal tradition as William's father Charles had attended Gordonstoun in Scotland. George previously attended Lambrook School, the private prep school in Berkshire, also attended by his siblings Princess Charlotte, 11, and eight-year-old Prince Louis. Eton College is one of the most famous and prestigious schools in the world and has a reputation for instilling self-reliance and leadership as students have to fulfil many non-academic tasks. Admission is rigorous, with the boys going through stringent tests, and parents pay an annual fee of £63,298 for a school whose name is likely to be more influential than the academic qualifications gained by pupils. Its roll call of famous past pupils includes actors Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie and Eddie Redmayne, a large number of prime ministers including Lord David Cameron, and Boris Johnson, along with writers George Orwell and Ian Fleming, and adventurer Bear Grylls. The King went to Gordonstoun in the Scottish Highlands - also attended by his father, the late Duke of Edinburgh - and he told biographer Jonathan Dimbleby his time there was “a prison sentence” – but instilled self-discipline and a sense of responsibility.