King accepts patronage from school portrayed in Netflix series as cruel and strictly disciplined

In Series 2 of 'The Crown', Gordonstoun is portrayed as a cruel and strictly disciplined institution that made a teenage Prince Charles's life a misery.

In addition to the drama series following the lives of the Royal Family, schoolmates have reportedly claimed he was "mercilessly bullied" while enrolled at the school from 1962 to 1967.

Following his experience, he chose to send his own sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, to Eton College instead - breaking from the tradition set by his father Prince Philip.

Prince Harry even suggested in his memoir 'Spare' that his father's "genetic pain" was caused by an unhappy childhood.

But in 1975, during a speech in the House of Lords, the then Prince Charles said: "I am always astonished by the amount of rot talked about Gordonstoun and the careless use of ancient cliches used to describe it.

"It was only tough in the sense that it demanded more of you as an individual than most other schools did - mentally and physically."

On Gordonstoun's own website, the school proudly claims Charles stated on "many occasions that it had a positive influence on him."

School principal Lisa Kerr attempted to debunk the Netflix myths in 2022.

Writing for the website 'School Management Plus', she said: "When the press come to Gordonstoun and ask to see 'the gatepost that Prince Philip built' I have to inform them that, unfortunately, such a gatepost does not exist and never has done.

"Similarly, not only is there no longer a 'Gordonstoun challenge', there never was one.

"Journalists are also surprised when I show them King Charles’s old boarding house, brand new at the time of his arrival, complete with central heating.

"It is somewhat different to the draughty old hall with snow blowing in, as depicted in Season 2."

The King earned five O-levels and two A-levels at Gordonstoun, earning him a place to study archaeology and anthropology at the University of Cambridge.

Last year, His Majesty chose four pipers from the school to welcome him to St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh for the Honours of Scotland ceremony - part of the Coronation celebrations.

The Gordonstoun Pipe Band also regularly travels to Braemar, close to Balmoral Castle, to take part in the annual Gathering in Aberdeenshire which The King regularly attends.

King Charles' sister, the Princess Royal, is already a supporter of Gordonstoun as warden of the school.

Speaking about the new royal patronage, school principal Lisa Kerr said: "We are honoured that His Majesty has accepted patronage of the Gordonstoun Association.

"As our most prominent former student, His Majesty exemplifies so many of the qualities we seek to instil in our students, notably a lifelong commitment to service.

"That His Majesty has chosen a patronage of our alumni body is a great honour both for the school and all members of the Gordonstoun Association.

"We look forward to His Majesty’s engagement and support with the association and its members in the years to come."

Heather Woodward, chairwoman of the association, added: “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 than the King to highlight the unique experience of what it means to be a former student of Gordonstoun, and I am therefore delighted that His Majesty has accepted patronage of the Gordonstoun Association.

“Although it’s almost 60 years since His Majesty 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.”