Gordonstoun School granted Royal Patronage by King Charles III
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King Charles III has agreed to become Patron of the Gordonstoun Association – a role previously held by his father.
The King was a student at the school between 1962 and 1967. He left as House Captain and Guardian (Head Boy) with five O-levels in English Language, English Literature, History, Latin and French and two A-levels in History and French.
This secured him a place to study archaeology and anthropology at Trinity College, Cambridge University.
Heather Woodward, Chairwoman of the Gordonstoun Association, said: “The aim of the Gordonstoun Association is to promote and strengthen pupils’ links with each other and the school.
“There is no person more suited to highlight the unique experience of what it means to be a former student of Gordonstoun. I am therefore delighted that His Majesty has accepted.
“Although it’s almost 60 years since attended Gordonstoun, his duty to service is an example of how the ethos and values of the school teaches students to think about others rather than themselves.
“We are looking forward to engaging with the king on his views on how we can further the aims of the association.”
Gordonstoun has a long history of educating members of the Royal family, beginning with the late Prince Philip, who joined as its tenth student in 1934 at the age of 13
His three sons later went to Gordonstoun, but not his daughter, Princess Anne, as it was an all-boys school at the time.
However she sent her children, Peter Philips and Zara Tindall, there.
The exact attitude of King Charles towards his old school has long been debated.
Speaking in 1974, the man himself said: “I’m glad I went to Gordonstoun. It wasn’t the toughness of the place – that’s all much exaggerated by report – it was the general character of the education there … with the emphasis on self-reliance to develop a rounded human being.
“I didn’t enjoy school as much as I might have, but that was only because I’m happier at home than anywhere else; but Gordonstoun developed my will-power and self-control, helped me to discipline myself.
“We went in for ‘adventure’. We ran our own fire brigade, we had our own sea rescue service, mountain rescue, surf life-saving, Coastguard, etc. It was adventure. And we were damn good.”
