Prince George is set to begin at Eton College in September, and the path that led him there traces back to a decision made by his late grandmother, Princess Diana, decades before he was born. While royal tradition had long pointed toward Gordonstoun in the Scottish Highlands, the school attended by both King Charles and Prince Philip, Diana deliberately broke from that mold when choosing where William would be educated.
Author Simon Vigar, who wrote the biography "The Four Wives of Windsor," tells PEOPLE the choice was "very much a Diana decision." Her father and brother were both Eton alumni, and the school's proximity to home was a practical factor too, especially given that Charles had not been happy at Gordonstoun. Despite their separation in 1992, both Diana and Charles were present when William started at Eton in September 1995. After Diana's death in 1997, the school became what royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith calls a "much-needed haven" for the grieving 15-year-old prince.
Now, thirty years later, William and Kate's eldest son is following that same trail. A source close to the family says George "always wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps." Founded in 1440, Eton has produced 20 British prime ministers and is known for both its academic rigor and its tradition of developing students for leadership, qualities the Wales family reportedly considered central to their final decision.
