This week, a BBC interview featuring King Charles from 2017 was reposted on TikTok, drawing in close to 500,000 viewers to relive the moment when the monarch was questioned about Prince George, his grandson, attending school for the first time.
“Your grandson had his first day at school today, did you give him any advice?” The King joked in response to a broadcaster’s question, saying, “Of course not! I don’t think at that age he would have taken it from me.”
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He went on, “I’ll be curious to know how he fared. “You don’t worry about going to school as much at that age as you do as you get a little older. Meeting new people and wondering are the only things on the agenda.”
Then, when little Prince George saw Thomas’s Battersea school gates for the first time, he was reported to King Charles to look nervous.
“Oh, poor old thing,” the devoted grandfather answered. “The issue is always leaving things there and trying to move on when the parents leave. I guess in the end it’s beneficial for you. It develops character.”
King Charles was criticized by royal fans for seeming to be a “doting grandfather” and a man who “loves his family,” but a few other remarks revealed more about the monarch’s educational background.
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He is incredibly perceptive, in fact. Given that his school years weren’t the best, he has a thoughtful perspective on why he hasn’t yet developed a fear of going to school. It feels intimate,” a TikTok user commented.
Another commented, “Poor Charles had a terrible time at school,” and a third said, “This breaks my heart when you know how awful his time at school was.”
It is well known that Charles supposedly struggled at Gordonstoun School, where it was “common knowledge” that his classmates teased him. In an interview with The Telegraph, former classmate Johnny Stonborough said, “It might even give some solace to countless British children to know their King was bullied and survived.”
Prince Philip and Zara Tindall were also students at the renowned “tough” coeducational boarding school in Moray, Scotland. The then-Prince Charles frequently wrote letters home during his adolescence, describing his suffering.
One said, “I get hit on the head a lot and I snore, so I don’t get much sleep in the house.” It’s just plain awful.”
Another said, “My dormmates are disgusting.” They are so disgusting, I can’t believe anyone could be so rude.”
They wake up everyone else in the dorm at the same time by throwing slippers all night long, hitting me with pillows, or rushing across the room and hitting me as hard as they can.
The monarch thought back on his time at the school in 1974, despite reports of his experiences there costing more than £15,000 a year. “I consider myself fortunate because it gave me a lot of insight into my own capabilities and limitations. It helped me learn how to take initiative and accept challenges,” he remarked.
