Prince George must follow strict rule as Eton College clamps down with new policy

George, Prince of Wales, is currently enrolled on his first term as an Eton College student, following in the footsteps of his uncle Harry, Duke of Sussex, and father William, heir apparent to the British throne.

The 13-year-old was dropped off at the institution by his dad and mother, Catherine, Princess of Wales, on 8 September—and it didn’t take long for fans to comment on his official school portrait.

“Like father, like son! The resemblance is incredible, even nearly 30 years apart,” one Instagram user wrote, while another added: “They really look alike actually. The only difference is the eye colour.”

During his formative years at Eton College, George will reside in one of 35 boarding houses. There, he will eat four square meals a day, learn the ‘Eton Glossary’, and adhere to the demands of his Housemaster and Dame.

Prince George is already weeks deep into his Eton College education (Adrian Dennis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

However, one thing he will not be able to do is mindlessly doomscroll on his issued Apple iPad in class or during unsupervised homework time.

New iPad rules at Eton College

GB News reported that the young royal and his first-year peers at the prestigious Berkshire boarding school are currently restricted to a selection of Microsoft 365 applications in their first weeks.

Through October and beyond, they will be able to log on to a ‘white list’ of teacher-approved websites through a purpose-built secure browser, Eton-Learning.

An overnight device ban, enforced since 2018, remains in place.

Kids deposit their electronic tablets for a screen-free evening. They will not be allowed to pick them up again until 7am the following day.

Policy change follows the parents letter

The policy overhaul has allegedly been uncovered through reporting by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ).

Students at Eton College have had their iPad usage restricted (Adrian DENNIS / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Parents initially banded together in 2024 to contact the boarding school, citing concerns that their children were using iPads for gaming and unrestricted internet access during lessons and homework time, The Telegraph reported.

Over 100 parents wrote to the school’s provost, Sir Nicholas Coleridge, and its senior leadership in December 2024 regarding their dissatisfaction with the existing device and internet policy, the publication wrote.

The letter, obtained by TBIJ and shared with The Telegraph, claimed that the school's approach to technology was ‘currently failing the boys’ by allowing them to ‘game and gain access to the internet on their school-issued iPads’.

The notice claimed this was taking place in class and while completing homework, ‘unsupervised in their bedrooms’.

It was said there was ‘clear evidence of harm to a significant number of boys in the school's care due to screen addiction’.

The young royal and his peers are also restricted where smartphones are concerned (Matt Porteous/Kensington Palace)

In a statement to The Telegraph, a spokesman for Eton College said it was ‘firmly committed to online safety, to digital literacy and to striking an appropriate balance in the use of technology within our boarding community’.

"We have clear and well-established processes for responding to concerns raised by pupils, parents or staff and for ensuring that appropriate support and interventions are put in place where necessary. Any suggestion that concerns relating to screen use or online activity have been disregarded is not correct,” the statement added.

Eton College smartphone rules

Those enrolled at Eton College are also not allowed to scroll on social media via their smartphones. Instead, they can use a basic ‘brick’ phone to call and text their parents, as long as internet access is disabled.

“The phone decision was very much welcomed by parents, and the boys are so busy, they don’t have time to be sat on their beds, scrolling TikTok,” Melanie Sanderson, managing editor at The Good Schools Guide told People Magazine.

This shouldn’t impact George too much; his father previously admitted that neither he nor his siblings has ever had a phone.

“Our children don’t have phones. I think when George moves to secondary school, then maybe he might have a phone that has no internet access,” he said in November 2025.

“Having a phone and text message, the old sort of brick phone as they call them, I think that’s fine,” William continued.

“I think it’s the internet access that I have a problem with. I think children can access too much stuff they don’t need to see online.”