After months - if not years - of speculation, the Prince and Princess of Wales have confirmed their eldest son, and our future king, will attend the prestigious Eton College.While this may have appeared the most likely choice all along, it has not been without a degree of angst for William and Kate. As any parent of school aged children will know, the most significant decision of your child's schooling involves a great deal of consideration, whatever the means by which you live by.While some reports today have claimed the decision was reached just a few months ago, I can reveal Eton has been the front runner for a considerable amount of time.‌Both the Prince and Princess of Wales told those closest to them how they had jointly decided - along with George - that the Windsor school was the one, as far back as the beginning of the school year last September.Due diligence aside, as William and Kate together with George personally visited other schools, including Kate’s alma mater Malborough College, which I am told both the Prince and Princess came away very impressed with, Eton has won out for a variety of reasons.The lure of an institution that has shaped future kings and generations of Britain’s political leaders has proved both important and influential, but Eton’s proximity to the family’s new “forever home” Forest Lodge in Windsor has proved crucial. It also provides a sense of continuity with William having attended the Windsor school in the 1990s.From before George was born, the Prince and Princess have thought long and hard about their children's futures, especially that of their first born who will one day become King.‌William and Kate grew up in considerably different worlds, but the influence of Kate’s close knit family life and idyllic upbringing in the Berkshire countryside has had a profound effect on their parenting.Family is everything to them, and while their children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - have become more visible at royal events in recent years, they have done their utmost to protect them from the pressures of growing up in the institution, that simply wasn't afforded or largely considered to William and his brother Harry growing up.‌While William enjoyed the opportunity to attend Eton and the chance to spread his wings out of the glare of the world’s press and the disintigration of his parents’ marriage, Harry struggled academically at school and had a more mixed experience. Nevertheless, he too has spoken fondly of his time there.Kate also experienced happy times at Marlborough, where she formed close friendships that have lasted decades after an unfortunate episode of bullying at her former school Downe House.But while it has not been confirmed as to whether George will board full time, those who do are permitted to go home on weekends. Just being down the road has undoubtedly settled both parents’ nerves when packing their son off for such a life changing experience.‌For William and Kate, the advantage of achieving both practicality and base at familiar territory, for William at least, has had the edge. The decision also reflects a broader theme of William and Kate’s approach to royal life: modernising the monarchy without abandoning its traditions. The school also offers a level of privacy and security that few institutions can match.Educating a future king presents many challenges as George’s grandfather, King Charles, can confirm. His time at Gordonstoun in Scotland resulted in a largely unhappy experience, leading the former Prince of Wales to describe the setting as “Colditz in kilts”, comparing its Spartan routine, gruelling physical demands and strict environment to the Nazi prisoner of war camp.Times have changed considerably since the late Duke of Edinburgh’s generation, when he packed young Charles off with a view that the harsh environment would be the making of his shy son who was already low on confidence.‌The subject of George’s schooling has been an entirely different affair. While his life and those of his family is undeniably blanketed in privilege, and the opportunity of attending the College largely only afforded to the very elite in society, William’s own experiences.As Prince George prepares for the next chapter of his life, his years at Eton will inevitably be watched closely. Yet his parents will hope that, like his father before him, he is given the space to learn, grow and forge his own path before the responsibilities of kingship come into view.