Prince William to take on royal responsibility for King Charles - though it might mean missing George’s big moment
The Prince of Wales will be representing the monarch at a poignant royal occasion on the same day his son starts at Eton
Prince William tries his hardest to arrange his royal diary around family life but this month his duty to King Charles might make this impossible. The Prince of Wales is heading overseas for an important occasion that falls on the same day as Prince George starting at Eton College.
The 2026 Michaelmas Term starts on 9th September and William would no doubt love to be there to wish his son luck and potentially drop him off that morning. However, he's set to represent His Majesty at the State Funeral of King Harald V of Norway at Oslo Cathedral later that day.
The service begins at 1pm local time and Princess Anne will also be paying her respects to the late monarch as the godmother of new King Haakon VIII. According to royal sources, Prince William's attendance representing King Charles upholds a tradition that the monarch doesn't usually go to the funeral of another Head of State.
Depending on flight times it's possible that the Prince of Wales could still get to Norway in time after taking his eldest son to Eton. He won't want to rush or risk being late to such a poignant State occasion, though, so I suspect William will miss out on George's big day.
Notably, Buckingham Palace has confirmed only that William will be there and not that the Princess of Wales will be going too. This makes sense, as if the Prince of Wales is unable to be there for the 13-year-old's first day at Eton, he'll still have his mother supporting him.
School drop-offs and pick-ups are something William and Kate prioritise doing personally and it might help Prince George feel a bit more at ease if his mum takes him to Eton for the start of the new term. Although we know he's been boarding at Lambrook School, this will be the first time he's permanently lived away from home.
It'll take some getting used to - for him and the rest of the Wales family. Returning home after King Harald's funeral and not having George there could be very strange for Prince William. Royal expert Robert Jobson previously predicted this period will be very "emotional" for all of them.
"They are such a tight family unit; George will be missed," Robert declared. "It will be like having an empty seat at the table."
He added, "William used to go to visit the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor while he was at Eton College, but that has to be organised. You can't just pop home when you want to."
Both the Prince and Princess of Wales went to boarding schools themselves (Eton and Marlborough College respectively), so they'll know what George will be going through. His new, more structured daily life will prepare him for the royal duties that await him one day too.
In future Prince George will probably have to miss out on some personal moments to represent his father at major occasions. King Charles actually delayed his wedding to Queen Camilla by a day out of respect, so that he could attend Pope John Paul II's funeral in Queen Elizabeth's place.
It comes with the territory if you're a senior royal and Prince George will understand this. If the future King has to head to Norway before school drop-off, William could perhaps have a special phone call or FaceTime with his son later to see how he's getting on instead.
