Prince George, 13, will be getting accustomed to life at Eton College now, having been there since September, but in the coming weeks, the young royal will leave boarding school behind to celebrate two important occasions.
According to the term dates section of the school’s official website, the boys will be embarking on their first “long leave” week since enrolment, which commences on Friday 23 October and concludes on Sunday 8 November. This means that George will be reunited with his parents, Prince William and Princess Catherine and his siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in order to celebrate both Halloween and Bonfire Night.
While the family do not publicly speak about these particular seasonal celebrations, Princess Catherine has been spotted purchasing Halloween costumes for her children in the past, suggesting they like to join in the spooky fun.
As for firework night, there’s a display less than 15 minutes away from the family residence, held at the Royal Windsor Racecourse. The event takes place on 7 November and the advert promises “a welcoming night out for family and friends as bonfire season draws to a close”.
Has Prince George already popped back home?
It is not the first time George could have retreated back home to see his family, though, as students had their first “short leave” of the term from 2 to 4 October, which means boarding students can enjoy a weekend away from school.
© Getty ImagesEton also previously had a “B Weekend” on 19 and 20 September, just two weeks after joining his new school, which is an optional period of additional leave starting on the Saturday.
© Getty ImagesThe Eton website states: “Optional weekend leave for all boys is indicated below as B Weekends. All boys are allowed to take all B Weekends and may leave Eton after commitments on Saturday and return by 6.15pm on Sunday.”
Living away from home
While George experienced part-time boarding during his time at Lambrook School, Eton is his first experience as a full-time boarder, living away from his family during the school term. The 13-year-old’s living arrangements will be very different from his life in a royal residence, as he will have a humble dormitory room just like the rest of the cohort of boys.
Each student is granted their own room to ensure “self-discipline”. The website explains: “From the very beginning, each boy has his own study-bedroom: there are no shared rooms. Boys thus have their own private space and are required to organise themselves and to develop self-discipline in meeting tasks and deadlines.”
