Prince George, 13, is now answering to a new last name at Eton College.
The eldest child of Prince William, 44, and Kate Middleton began his first year at the Berkshire boarding school last month, and like his younger siblings, he has dropped the surname Cambridge in favor of Wales, according to Hello! Magazine. Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8, who remain enrolled at Lambrook School, have also adopted the same change. The shift traces directly to September 2022, when Queen Elizabeth II died and King Charles III, 77, ascended the throne, prompting William and Middleton’s elevation from Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Prince and Princess of Wales.
The Wales surname follows a well-established royal pattern. William and his brother Prince Harry, 42, were both known as William Wales and Harry Wales throughout their school years and military service, reflecting that their father was then the Prince of Wales. The brothers overlapped at Eton for two years, with William attending from 1995 to 2000 and Harry from 1998 to 2003. George’s arrival at the 1440-founded institution marks the continuation of that family thread, though under markedly different circumstances.
Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield said in July that George faces a challenge his father never encountered. “William and Harry attended before social media transformed adolescence,” she pointed out. “George won’t have that luxury.”
Schofield identified the balancing act ahead for the teenager, whose height now matches his mother’s. “His biggest challenge won’t be academics or making friends,” she said, “but rather balancing [his] privacy with the reality that every classmate has TikTok.”
The commentator added that George is expected to have his own room at the all-boys boarding school, the largest in England, while still being fully immersed in its social environment and likely joining the athletics program. She also noted that his father’s alumni status gives him particular advantages. “William knows where the pressure points are,” Schofield said. “He understands the social dynamics, the academic expectations and the emotional challenges.”
George’s first day on campus saw him arrive in a black suit and blue tie to match his father, later changing into Eton’s distinctive uniform of black tailcoat, waistcoat, pinstriped pants and white stiff-collar shirt. The formal attire underscores the institution’s traditions, which have remained largely intact across centuries and royal generations.
The Wales surname now unites all three royal siblings in their daily school lives, a practical solution that also signals their place within the current hierarchy. Before the title change, Charlotte and Louis were likewise known as Cambridge at Lambrook, where George had previously been enrolled. The seamless adoption of the new name reflects how royal children navigate ordinary institutional settings under extraordinary public attention.
For George, the transition to secondary education comes at a moment of heightened visibility. As second in line to the throne, his adolescence will unfold under scrutiny that his father experienced in a pre-digital era. The Eton environment, with its structured routines and deep historical associations with British leadership, offers both shelter and stage for that development.
