The new monarch's childhood days at hard line private school was 'absolute hell' for a prince bullied about his status.
King Charles had some of his most important early experiences in Scotland. There were family holidays at Balmoral, but it was his education at Gordonstoun in Moray that left scars he struggled to heal.
The heir to the throne would go to his own old school, in a remote part of the north-east of Scotland, to build things, run around freezing fields, wash in icy water and sleep in a grim dormitory. Gordonstoun was founded in 1934 by Kurt Hahn, a German Jew who had escaped Hitler. The Duke of Edinburgh was one of its first pupils.
Two years in, it had not improved. Another letter said: “The people in my dormitory are foul. They throw slippers all night long or hit me with pillows… Last night was hell, literal hell. I wish I could come home.” Prince Charles was an average student, ploughing dutifully through his lessons. He’d already discovered a gift for acting and excelled in school productions. As well as being a break from the endless outdoor exercise, these were also a rare chance to meet members of the opposite sex. Girls from Elgin Academy came to the school to play the female parts in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.
One of the most famous incidents from Charles’s time at Gordonstoun happened on the Isle of Lewis. The second years had sailed across the Minch and were taken to a pub in Stornoway. There, the 14-year-old heir to the throne ordered a cherry brandy. Unfortunately for him, there was a newspaper reporter in the bar. The prince’s underage drink made headlines round the world.
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