Princess Kate’s surprising family connection to Eton College revealed

Princess Kate's family has a long history with Eton College. Photo / AP

It’s not yet been announced where Prince George will attend high school, though the prestigious Eton College is an obvious choice - and the young prince was recently photographed visiting the school with his parents.

George’s father Prince William and uncle Prince Harry both attended school there, as did his relatives on the Spencer side, including Charles the ninth Earl.

But it turns out that George’s mother Princess Kate has her own astonishing connection to the ancient school that sits in the shadow of Windsor Castle.

Prince George, Princess Kate, Prince Louis, Prince William and Princess Charlotte arrive at Lambrook School in September 2022. Photo / AP

The Daily Mail UK reveals that two of the college’s most significant buildings are named after Kate’s ancestors, as her connection to Eton goes back to the reign of Henry VII.

The Lupton family, from Yorkshire, were prominent in the Tudor era as Catholic priest Dr Roger Lupton acted as chaplain to both Henry VII and Henry VIII and was provost of Eton during the 16th century, while a distant cousin of his called Alan Lupton boarded at the school in the Victorian era.

Henry VII appointed Dr Lupton to the role of provost in 1504. He went on to execute the king’s will and worked throughout the reign of Henry VIII, retiring at 79 in 1535.

Prince Harry also attended Eton College. Photo / AP

He died in 1540 and was buried in the chapel at Eton, since named Lupton Chapel. Lupton Tower on the school grounds was also named after him, and both buildings appear in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire.

Dr Lupton’s coat of arms, given to him by Henry VII, is made up of three wolves’ heads (Lupus is the Latin word for wolf) and three lilies, which also appear on the Eton College coat of arms.

Three centuries later, Princess Kate’s second cousin three times removed Alan Lupton began at Eton, boarding there from 1888 to 1892. He married Mary Burrell in 1905. His second cousins Francis and Olive Lupton - Kate’s great-grandmother - were guests at the wedding.

Another of Kate’s relatives, John Middleton, went to rival school Winchester College, playing cricket against Eton in the 1914 Eton Match - witnessed by Kate’s great-grandparents Olive and Noel Middleton.

Several cousins of Queen Elizabeth II also attended the school, including Prince Edward, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and Prince Michael of Kent. Elizabeth herself was tutored privately but studied constitutional history through Eton.

Historian Michael Reed pointed out that “people will assume that the reason that William and Kate are thinking of sending George to Eton is because it’s his alma mater. But Kate’s family has long had connections to the school too.”