Kate Middleton braves the rain in flattering school run dress and glamorous curls for Prince George’s first day at Eton

The Princess of Wales looked stylish as ever for a milestone family moment on Tuesday. It’s a momentous day for Prince William and Princess Kate who dropped their son Prince George off for his first day of secondary school at the prestigious Eton College today. 

The royal couple braved the rain as they accompanied their 13-year-old, who looked so distinguished in his suit and tie, to the campus in Berkshire this morning. Kate was every inch the proud mum as she stood next to her grown-up son beneath an umbrella to meet with Eaton’s head master, Simon Henderson, and Sir Nicholas Coleridge, the school’s Provost.

The Princess of Wales was glamorous as ever as she braved the rain in a flattering green midi dress that cinched at the waist. The long-sleeved dress, which looked to be the Emilia Wickstead design she wore in 2023 while hosting Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at Windsor Castle, featured a rounded neckline and fell to below the knee in an A-line silhouette with a floaty skirt that swished as she walked. Kate 

The royal walked across the cobbled school yard in a pair of pointed-toe stilettos and styled her hair in a gorgeous cascade of curls that swept past her shoulders. 

George’s first day

© POOL/AFP via Getty Images

George, who’s last major public appearance was at the start of the summer at the Commonwealth Games, stepped out in his “home clothes” – a dark blazer, shirt and tie – on Tuesday for his first day of secondary school. William was dressed in a suit like his son. 

While a younger George held his father’s hand for his first day of school at Thomas’s Battersea in south-west London in 2017, the royal was brimming with confidence for the start of his Eton journey as he smiled and shook hands with the head master.

“Welcome,” head master Simon Henderson told the royal. “Good luck. Enjoy it.”

© POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Why Eton?

Writing in HELLO!, Sir Anthony Seldon remarked that the young royal “needs a school that allows him to learn, to make friends and indeed to make mistakes as all young people do away from the public eye. Eton, his father’s school, is ideally placed to provide it.”

He explained: “It knows how to deal with an heir to the throne and how to provide him an environment where he will not be a talking point. He won’t be a quirk. People are just very relaxed about who somebody is.”

The college counts royals, Hollywood stars like Tom Hiddleston and 20 UK prime minister’s among its impressive alumni. George’s godfather, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, also attended the school.

 “It’s probably changed a lot since I went. Actually, it certainly has. And in many ways, it’s changed for the better,” Jamie told HELLO!‘s A Right Royal Podcast. “My son was there too, so I’ve seen it quite recently. You’re very, very privileged to go there and there are all sorts of amazing things you can do.”