Prince Charles: Earlier Life and Incidents, Life in Pictures


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
School Run

Didn't think that a school run would be so stressful that you'd need a beer afterwards ???! Spotted this extract in an article from Vanity Fair:


For the Duke of Edinburgh, part of the trip was invariably spent listening to Charles’s anguished pleas to be transferred out of Gordonstoun—followed by Philip’s oft-repeated defense of the school and his rationale for sticking it out. As soon as he returned to London, Philip, pale and shaking, would down a pint of Boddingtons—the Duke’s favorite brand of beer—to calm his nerves.
 
FInd it hard to imagine that Philip wold find it so stressful to hanldle his son
 
I'm not a parent, but I can definitely see how leaving a desperate child at a place he didn't want to be in, but where you placed him because you thought it would be good for him in the long run could affect a parent badly. It fits into what I've read about how emotional Philip was after leaving Charles at Gordonstoun on the first day of school.
Philip was a tough man, but also devoted to his children and like most parents he tried his best to do the right thing for them.
 
Last edited:
If philip was all that emotional about Charles and his school, why not move the boy to another school like Eton where he woudl be happier?
 
If philip was all that emotional about Charles and his school, why not move the boy to another school like Eton where he woudl be happier?
Based on what we've heard he thought Gordonstoun would be good for Charles once he got used to it.
 
Last edited:
I think it’s very significant that, whatever Prince Philip thought would be good for his son, when that son’s turn came to send his own sons off to school Gordonstoun wasn’t even considered.
 
Last edited:
Based on what we've heard he thought Gordonstoun would be good for Charles once he got used to it.

It must surely have been obvious after a year or so that it wasn't the right place for Charles and that he was unhappy there, and things weren't any better... so if he was really concerned for his son's happiness, he could have moved him to another school.
 
I think it’s very significant that, whatever Prince Philip thought would be good for his son, when that son’s turn came to send his sons off to school Gordonstoun wasn’t even considered.
No, but they were both put in boarding schools giving them a very limited time per year to spend with their family so it wasn't the system that Charles had any problems with, but the school itself.
I would like to point out that one of the few bright spots during the dreadful childhood of Prince Philip were his years spent at Gordonstoun. Like most people of his class a boarding school education was seen as the best option for a good education and they had all had to adjust to being shipped off to often rudimentary accomodations in a tough environment so a child's complaints were probably seen as part of an adjustment period and would go away when they had settled in.
To me it sounds like child abuse and I would have suffered terribly myself, but they thought it was the right thing to do. Many of their class still do.
 
No, but they were both put in boarding schools giving them a very limited time per year to spend with their family so it wasn't the system that Charles had any problems with, but the school itself.
I would like to point out that one of the few bright spots during the dreadful childhood of Prince Philip were his years spent at Gordonstoun. Like most people of his class a boarding school education was seen as the best option for a good education and they had all had to adjust to being shipped off to often rudimentary accomodations in a tough environment so a child's complaints were probably seen as part of an adjustment period and would go away when they had settled in.
To me it sounds like child abuse and I would have suffered terribly myself, but they thought it was the right thing to do. Many of their class still do.

but the point is that if Philip were really emotional about Charles, he would have taken on board the fact that his son wasn't settling in to Gord, and hated it, and there were other schools like Eton that were closer to the RF's homes, Im not saying Phil was a monster for sending him there but I dont believe he was all that emotional about the fact that Charles didnt take to the place, he probably thought it would toughen Chas up, but was not sensitive enough to take note of the fact that Charles never did get to like the school....
 
but the point is that if Philip were really emotional about Charles, he would have taken on board the fact that his son wasn't settling in to Gord, and hated it, and there were other schools like Eton that were closer to the RF's homes, Im not saying Phil was a monster for sending him there but I dont believe he was all that emotional about the fact that Charles didnt take to the place, he probably thought it would toughen Chas up, but was not sensitive enough to take note of the fact that Charles never did get to like the school....
My take on your question is in the post of mine that you quoted. At the time children did what their parents told them to and the parents based that decision on what they thought was best for their children wether they liked it or not. Philip most likely thought that despite Charles's protests Gordonstoun would be the best place for his son in the long run.
 
It's not just a question of parental authority, the system of the times, or Gordonstoun being a bright spot for Philip.

Philip was deeply attached to the place in a way most boarders never are, because it had given him the stability and security his family wasn't able to provide. In addition to that, he was a refugee with a typical refugee parent mentality — wanting to be sure your children will be able to handle whatever life throws at them, which is why he insisted on Gordonstoun.

The fact Gordonstoun didn't work for Charles and actually backfired miserably not only obviously upset and shook Philip for his child's sake, but seems to have made him struggle with some very personal convictions as well.
 
It's not just a question of parental authority, the system of the times, or Gordonstoun being a bright spot for Philip.

Philip was deeply attached to the place in a way most boarders never are, because it had given him the stability and security his family wasn't able to provide. In addition to that, he was a refugee with a typical refugee parent mentality — wanting to be sure your children will be able to handle whatever life throws at them, which is why he insisted on Gordonstoun.

The fact Gordonstoun didn't work for Charles and actually backfired miserably not only obviously upset and shook Philip for his child's sake, but seems to have made him struggle with some very personal convictions as well.

but it didnt, did it? He took an unhappy Charles to Gordonstoun for years on end, and continued to hold to his idea that even if Ch was unhappy it was good for him... Philip was an intelligent man, I'm sure he could see that it wasn't working out for his son, yet he continued to send him there. If it had made him struggle with his personal convictions, he might have worked out that Gordonstoun did not suit his son, and moved him to Eton or Harrow.. which woudl have fit him better.
 
Last edited:
I think it’s very significant that, whatever Prince Philip thought would be good for his son, when that son’s turn came to send his own sons off to school Gordonstoun wasn’t even considered.

Is there any info on choosing schools for the boys/ I know that Diana thought that Eton would not suit Harry, but other than that, I dont know what was discussed between C and Diana. I think if Di had lived, Charles might have sent Harry to Gord, if he'd liked the idea
 
Is there any info on choosing schools for the boys/ I know that Diana thought that Eton would not suit Harry, but other than that, I dont know what was discussed between C and Diana. I think if Di had lived, Charles might have sent Harry to Gord, if he'd liked the idea

Yes, it was decided after Diana died that it would be best for William and Harry that they attend the same school. Eton worked for William but not so much for Harry. The fact that Harry claimed in his autobiography that he barely saw his brother doesn't surprise me: teen siblings usually don't want their little brothers tagging around - and William and Harry were three academic years apart. That's huge at that age. I agree that Harry probably would have enjoyed Gordunstoun, with its emphasis on the outdoors.
 
Im not so sure. Its still a school, Gordonstoun, and has rules and requires hard work. However, I dont know of any info about C and Diana discussing where the boys went to school, before her death. Get teh feeling that Diana said she'd like WIll to go ot Eton, and Charles agreed because he had hated Gord himself.
 
Back
Top Bottom