Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jun 26, 2025

0:00
0:00

"Just One Of the Boys In School:" Years That Shaped Prince Charles

Prince Charles began attending the picturesque private school Gordonstoun on the north coast of Scotland, where his late father Prince Philip also studied.

British heir to the throne Prince Charles was "just one of the boys" when he was a pupil at a remote boarding school in Scotland, going about his day-to-day life and developing a later passion for the arts and environment.

Prince Charles was 13 when, in May 1962, he began attending the picturesque private school Gordonstoun on the north coast of Scotland, where his late father Prince Philip also studied.

"For everybody at Gordonstoun, it's a huge sense of pride to have been the first school to educate an heir to the British throne," current Gordonstoun principal Lisa Kerr told Reuters. "What's more powerful for us is knowing that many of the attributes which Prince Charles takes forward as monarch were developed here at Gordonstoun."

Earlier generations of British royal children had been educated by tutors at home.

prince Charles found aspects of school life hard, something that was highlighted in a recent series of the Netflix hit drama "The Crown". Pupils had to go for an early morning run followed by a cold shower, and some fellow pupils recall how he was bullied.

According to biographies, he wrote home in 1963 saying: "The people in my dormitory are foul. They throw slippers all night long or hit me with pillows ... I wish I could come home."

Asked if Prince Charles had been happy, Kerr said: "I suppose everyone's school days have their ups and downs, and it's probably no surprise that the downs are more interesting from a media perspective.

"But interestingly, Prince Charles himself has said that he's always astonished at the amount of rot talked about Gordonstoun ... in many speeches, he's talked about the really positive impact that his time here had on his life."

Describing him as a "studious young man" who went on to study at Cambridge University, Kerr said Prince Charles, who has visited the school since leaving in 1967, would have mixed with people from a whole range of backgrounds.

She said he had enjoyed music and drama, taking part in a number of school productions.

PIRATE KING


At the time, Gordonstoun was a boys' school and girls from a nearby high school joined their casts. One of those involved recalls the thrill of being on stage with the future king.

"Just to be involved in the Gordonstoun production was always exciting...And then when we discovered that Prince Charles was going to be involved too ... it did make it more exciting," said retired PE teacher Alison Shockley, 71.

"We were quite used to him being up here. He was seen in shops. He was involved in other things in the community ... We knew he was very musical."

Ms Stockley acted alongside Charles in shows including "The Pirates of Penzance", in which Prince Charles played the Pirate King.

"He carried it off very well," she said. "(He was) just one of the boys ... He just joined in as we all did."

Since its foundation in 1934 by German educator Kurt Hahn, Gordonstoun students have got involved with the local community and Charles was a member of the coastguard, where he kept watch along the beautiful Moray coast.

Decades later, 18-year-old student Olivia Dixon is doing the same. She also boards in the same Windmill Lodge room where Charles once lived.

"It (is) quite funny that this used to be his room, this used to be his dresser that we have a 'party' sign on top of it so it's quite surreal in a way," she said.

Nor is Prince Charles the only famous alumnus from the school. Both late actor Sean Connery and singer David Bowie sent their sons to Gordonstoun.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
×