Prince George: A Survival Guide to your First Month at Eton

Walter Kerr is the co-founder of Oppidan Education, a company that mentors children, and is an Old Etonian.

Eton has been educating boys of note for nearly 600 years and are no strangers to educating future Kings or foreign Monarchs. There will be no red carpets, nor pomp or ceremony. By teacher or peer, Prince George will be treated the same as any other boy, and little fuss will be made, at least inside the school, of his time as a student there.

Teenage boys are generally more interested in your football boots than your family background. In my role as a mentor to children, I see today’s Etonians as more tolerant and self-aware -- a theme apparent in Gen Alpha more broadly – and there is a culture of participation in school life considered “cool” which means George will be given the space to pursue his own interests happily.

He’ll be held to the same expectations as his classmates and happily so (his time at Lambrook Prep School will have been formative in his preparation for Eton.) Whilst there may be a few more parents on the sidelines of his football matches, expect little commotion and minimal ado.

In saying that, once you’ve dragged your suitcase up the stairs and your parents’ car disappears into the distance, you may start to feel the weight of this historic institution on your shoulders. To ensure you don’t make the same mistakes I did on my first day (I turned up at the wrong chapel -- there are two), here, George, is my six-point guide to surviving your first month at Eton. 

1.       

On your first day you’ll likely get lost. Eton is a town – there are no front gates or signposts. If you find yourself walking aimlessly down the Eton Wick Road, turn around, you have gone too far. Ask a kind Member of the Public (as I did) and they’ll direct you to your first div (class.)

2.       

You’ll wear a tailcoat every day. They don’t smell very good in the rain. You’ll also have a dog collar to wear (progressing to a bowtie by the time you leave). You’ll find it impossible to do up on your first day but don’t worry you’ll be doing it one-handed whilst brushing your teeth in no time.

3.       

Try not to be late otherwise Tardy Book will have you signing a ledger every day before the sun comes up. You’ll need to do three consecutive days - miss a day and you’ll have another added to your total (some of my contemporaries were on Tardy Book practically their entire career).

4.       

Teachers are called beaks and they’re everywhere. If you can find out how to get the boat to Windsor Racecourse and back into your house without being seen by one of them, you’re a smarter man than me. 

5.       

11 o’clock means Chambers: the mid-morning snack. Every house does Chambers slightly differently. For me it was half a loaf of white bread and Nutella. Or bacon sandwiches on good days. Always, always have a second bacon sandwich though you can always go via Rowlands to pick up a bag of sweets for your maths div (try not to be caught eating them.) 

6.    

Work out your Field Game position early and make it yours. A mix between football and rugby, it’s a sport only Eton plays and a sport you’ll love (though I’m not convinced any boy actually knows all the rules.)

With so much independence granted, the pressure is on to make the most of it. In my work at Oppidan Education, the boys I see thrive there are the boys who throw themselves into everything the school offers. They enter the prizes, attend the lectures, join the band.

 Whatever the opportunity, seize it – it’s everywhere.