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Facilities at Gordonstoun School in northeast Scotland include a climbing wall, shooting range and five-hole golf course, and pupils can even take bagpipe lessons.
But this school in Scotland’s far north is famous for another reason: one of its alumni happens to be King Charles III.
Gordonstoun is one of the most isolated places in the world, located near the city of Elgin, on the North Sea coast, approximately 66 miles (106 km) northwest of Aberdeen.
Getting there requires driving along narrow country roads.
Behind the gates lie 220 acres (90 hectares) of peaceful grounds, filled with majestic trees and lush meadows, nourished by the Scottish rains.
About 500 children and young people from 40 countries attend the school, including Amelia Lee, 17, from Hong Kong, who lives in Charles’ former room.
“It’s just unreal,” she told AFP, pointing out the desk where the future king once worked and the chest of drawers from the time.
“To be honest, I don’t use it that much,” she added. “I keep my snacks in there.”
Lee was assigned the room after being elected class president, just as Charles initially slept in the dorm as a student.
Charles, then known as the Prince of Wales, spent his teenage years at Gordonstoun between 1962 and 1967, aged 13 to 18.
At the time, his attendance was a first for a future British monarch, who up until then had been educated by tutors.
Lisa Kerr, headteacher at Gordonstoun School, said: “He was treated like any other pupil.”
– Lara Croft –
At the end of May, the King, now 75, agreed to become honorary patron of the Gordonstoun Alumni Association.
It is the latest public relations move by the university, which has been trying to dispel the perception that the monarch hated his time at the school.
Charles often describes his time at the school as “Colditz in kilts” and likens it to a World War II prisoner-of-war camp.
The hit TV series “The Crown,” based on the British royal family, has made these remarks more widely known.
But Cole said: “We spent many, many months trying to find the origin of ‘Colditz in a Kilt.’ We were unable to find it, so we have to accept that it is a myth.”
Cole admitted that his daily wake-up routine is to start with a morning run to get blood circulation going, followed by a hot shower and then a cold shower.
Gordonstoun High School still offers a “challenging and broad” education, guided by the motto “plus est en vous” (you are capable of more), which encourages students to strive.
Written on one wall is this quote: “We don’t grow when things go well. We only grow when we face challenges.”
The school was founded in 1934 by Kurt Hahn, a German Jewish educator who had fled the Nazis.
One of the school’s first pupils was Charles’ father, Prince Philip, who was married to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Charles’ brothers Andrew and Edward also attended the ceremony.
Other royal families have also sent their children to the school, including Sean Connery’s son Jason and David Bowie’s son Duncan Jones.
Tomb Raider creator Lara Croft also imagined the adventurer as a former student of hers after opening up to girls in 1972.
Charles sent his two sons, William and Harry, to another elite school, Eton College, near Windsor Castle in west London.
– Coast Guard –
Between classes, students in their sky blue and grey uniforms wander around Gordonstoun campus in small groups.
A third of the students are from Scotland, another third from other British nationals, and the rest from overseas. Tuition fees are as high as £50,000 ($64,000) per year. Some students receive scholarships.
“It’s not just about passing tests and getting good grades,” Cole said, “it’s about being a better person.”
Tuition fees can be used to participate in a range of activities, from cricket and swimming to tennis, hockey and sailing, while those more interested in music can take private lessons, including bagpipe lessons.
A teenage girl sang for her classmates on the stage where Charles once played Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s Scottish play, while his mother watched in the audience.
All seniors are required to join one of the school’s nine community and rescue services. Amelia Lee is a member of the Coast Guard Rescue Team.
The students trained with the local Coast Guard on the seaside cliffs.
“When the rain is pouring down … when it’s really cold, it teaches you what resilience is,” Lee said.
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