Prince William’s Umbrella Struggle Steals the Show as Prince George Starts at Eton

Prince George’s first day at Eton College was always going to attract attention. The 13-year-old royal arrived at the prestigious school on September 8 accompanied by his parents, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, marking the beginning of a major new chapter in his education.

Yet amid the photographs of George’s arrival, it was his father who unexpectedly provided one of the day’s lighter moments.

As the family made their way across the Eton grounds in wet weather, Prince William appeared to be having a losing battle with his umbrella. Photographs captured the umbrella turning inside out as he tried to keep it under control, creating an amusing scene while photographers looked on.

Prince William’s unexpected ‘fight’ with an umbrella

The moment quickly caught the attention of royal followers on X, with several people joking that William had found himself in an unlikely confrontation on the way to his son’s first day of school.

One social media user quipped that William knew exactly how to make George feel more comfortable, writing: “Struggle with your umbrella.”

Another shared photographs of the incident and joked that Prince William had “got in a fight” with his umbrella earlier that day, adding that the umbrella had clearly won and William had decided to get wet instead.

The images showed William wrestling with the unruly brolly as the rain continued to fall. The umbrella folded awkwardly and turned inside out, while George and Catherine appeared to enjoy the moment.

The exchange provided a particularly relatable scene during what was otherwise a significant royal occasion.

Another social media user joked about William passing his knowledge of Eton on to George, while someone else said they had a perfect record of losing every “umbrella fight” they had ever faced.

A third commenter suggested the mishap may have offered some welcome entertainment for George, who was likely feeling nervous on his first day. Another said they loved seeing Catherine and George enjoying William’s struggle.

A major milestone for Prince George

Behind the amusing umbrella episode was a significant day for the young prince.

George arrived at Eton alongside William and Catherine before being welcomed by Eton headmaster Simon Henderson and provost Sir Nicholas Coleridge. Henderson greeted the new pupil with the words: “Welcome, good luck, enjoy it.”

The family had travelled the short distance from their home in Forest Lodge, Windsor Great Park, to the school in Eton, Berkshire. George is now following in the footsteps of his father, who attended Eton, as well as his uncle, Prince Harry.

For the occasion, George arrived wearing a smart dark blazer, shirt and tie. He later changed into Eton’s traditional uniform for an official photo session.

The rainy arrival produced plenty of informal photographs, but the Wales family also shared a more polished set of images to mark the occasion.

‘George’s first day at Eton’

On Tuesday, September 8, the Prince and Princess of Wales released photographs of George from his first day at the school, accompanying them with the simple caption: “George’s first day at Eton.”

The images showed George smiling broadly for the cameras in pinstriped trousers, a white shirt and black jacket. The official portraits offered a striking contrast to the rain-soaked arrival and gave royal followers a closer look at the young prince as he begins life at Eton.

The photographs quickly attracted widespread attention, with more than 900,000 likes reported after they were posted.

Many of the reactions focused on how much George had grown and on the resemblance followers saw between him and his parents, particularly Prince William.

One admirer wrote that it felt as though George had been born only five minutes earlier before wishing him a happy first day at Eton.

Another said he looked “so grown up” and described him as a lovely combination of William and Catherine, while wishing him good luck and success during his time at the school.

A third commenter reflected on how quickly George had grown up, saying the photographs were beautiful and that he was increasingly resembling his father. They also wished him well as he begins his education at Eton.

For George, the day marked the start of a new stage in his education. For his parents, it was a milestone shared publicly with the world. And for royal watchers, William’s brief struggle with an unruly umbrella provided an unexpectedly entertaining moment during an otherwise memorable day.