Prince George is the image of Prince William from his Eton school days

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Prince George’s latest portrait delighted royal fans as he celebrated his 13th birthday on Wednesday, but it also proved his striking resemblance to his father, Prince William, at the same age.

The royal youngster was pictured wearing an open-collared white shirt with a dark suit, his hands tucked into his pockets as he smiled directly at the camera.

And when you compare the photograph of George to a picture of Prince William aged 13 as he arrived for his first day at Eton College in 1995, the similarities between father and son are evident, down to their matching smiles and their similar hair colours.

© Getty / Matt Porteous
William aged 13 in 1995 and Prince George’s 13th birthday portrait

It comes after Kensington Palace confirmed that Prince George will attend Eton College from September, following in the footsteps of the Prince of Wales.

The young prince has just left Lambrook School, the private prep school in Berkshire, which is also attended by his siblings Princess Charlotte, 11, and eight-year-old Prince Louis.

Will George board at Eton?

It is unknown whether Prince George will board at Eton given its proximity to Windsor Great Park, where he lives with his family, though the school does not currently have any day pupils.

When George arrives at Eton, like all new boys, he will need to accustom himself to the uniform, which was first adopted in 1820 in mourning for the death of King George III.

Eton College was long a frontrunner for George's school© Corbis via Getty Images
Eton College was long a frontrunner for George’s school

The uniform consists of black tailcoats and waistcoat, pin-stripe trousers, winged collars and a white bow-tie.

The school day starts at about 7.30am with breakfast in the boarding house, which is followed an hour later by Chapel.

Lessons end at about 5pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays are half-days, but pupils also work half-a-day on Saturdays.

What William has said about his time at Eton

Prince William was photographed by the press as he arrived for his first day at Eton on 6 September 1995, alongside his parents, Charles and Diana, and brother Harry. After that, there was an agreement between the royal family and the media that while the young price was at the school, he would be free from intrusion in exchange for regular updates about his life.

Prince William using a computer at Eton College© Tim Graham Photo Library via Get
George will be in charge of his studies, like his father was

John Wakeham, chairman of the Press Complaints Commission said of the agreement at the time: “Prince William is not an institution; nor a soap star; nor a football hero. He is a boy: in the next few years, perhaps the most important and sometimes painful part of his life, he will grow up and become a man.”

He resided at Manor House during his time at Eton, which has been used as a boarding house since at least 1723.

Prince William in Eton College uniform© Getty
William was a prefect in his final years at Eton

Five years later when aged 18, William was interviewed about his time at the school and reportedly said: “I’ve really enjoyed being able to go about Eton as just another student.”

He left the school in 2000 with an A in Geography, B in history of art and C in biology in his A-Levels. The Prince took a gap year before enrolling at St Andrews University, where he met his future wife, Kate Middleton.

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