Prince William and Kate Middleton reportedly welcome Eton’s smartphone rules for George

Prince William and Kate Middleton are said to support Eton College’s limits on smartphones, particularly as their eldest son, Prince George, settles into the school.

George, 13, started at the boarding school in September. First-year students are not allowed to use smartphones and are instead given basic phones without internet access. They can call or text their parents outside school hours.

Eton says the policy is intended to balance the advantages of technology with the difficulties it can bring into schools. The school also reportedly tightened limits on first-year students’ iPads in September after parents raised concerns about gaming and web browsing.

William has spoken before about keeping his children away from smartphones. In 2025, he said none of them had phones, and that he and Kate were strict about the issue. He later explained that George might eventually get a basic phone for secondary school, but that internet access was his main concern.

Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner said William and Kate had reportedly faced disagreements with George over getting a smartphone. Beyond the risk of excessive use, he said, internet access could expose George to opinions about the royal family that might be difficult for him to read.

Turner added that more schools are restricting phone use during the school day, while parents are increasingly looking for age-appropriate safeguards online.

Broadcaster Helena Chard said Eton’s policy is likely welcome news for the Prince and Princess of Wales. She said the basic phones allow essential calls and messages while limiting time spent gaming, scrolling through social media or encountering unsuitable material.

Chard also said George has never owned a smartphone and is likely to manage perfectly well with a basic phone. Kate has previously spoken about how smartphones can create emotional distance, she noted, though George will have plenty of time to use one in the future.

Founded by King Henry VI in 1440, Eton is an all-boys boarding school for students aged 13 to 18. Around 1,350 pupils attend, living in 25 boarding houses. Tuition for the 2025–26 school year was reported to be about $80,000.

William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, both attended Eton. The school’s former pupils also include members of Princess Diana’s family and several of Queen Elizabeth II’s cousins.

Author Hugo Vickers, who also attended Eton, called the school’s basic-phone approach sensible. He recalled that in his day, pupils mostly wrote letters home. A handful of phone booths were available, but students sometimes had to wait in line—and could run out of time before reaching the front.

Vickers said staying in touch with parents is valuable, but that students may get more from school if they are not constantly connected to the wider world through the internet. Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of The Good Schools Guide, said parents had welcomed Eton’s policy. Students, she added, have busy schedules and little time to spend scrolling on their phones.

George recently completed Eton’s 16-day Long Leave, which ended on November 8. The family lives at Forest Lodge in Windsor. When George returns to school, the phone restrictions may give him some added privacy, though older pupils and parents may still have access to smartphones.

Vickers said the school has asked parents not to photograph or post images when George or his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, attend sports matches at other schools. Parents have respected those requests, he said, and pictures of the children have not been leaked.