King Charles' merciless school days, when bullies 'broke his nose' and punched him on the rugby field

We are all somewhat aware of King Charles's troubled days at Gordonstoun, the Scottish all-boy boarding school where his father Prince Phillip studied. Charles' days at the boarding school, which he called Colditz in Kilts, turned out to be miserable, but for his brother, Prince Andrew, the situation was totally different. 

The new book, War Of The Windsors: The Inside Story Of Charles, Andrew And The Rivalry That Has Defined The Royal Family, by Nigel Cawthorne, reveals a lot about King Charles and Prince Andrew's school days. While Charles became the victim and was often bullied, his young sibling reportedly became a "leader of the pack" and even had several girlfriends at Gordonstoun, per the Daily Mail. 

Shy Charles was the loner and silent lad who could easily become the victim. However, Andrew was gifted with a 'thick skin'. With his charm and sense of humour, he had several friends during his days at the Scottish boarding school. 

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Charles' days at the boarding school 

King Charles III's initial days at the Scottish boarding school were miserable. The young prince was sent to the school in an attempt to toughen him to make him fit as the future king of England. But the situation turned out to be dire. 

''Charles was a very polite, sweet boy — always incredibly thoughtful and kind, interested in art and music,'' the Queen’s cousin and confidante Margaret Rhodes said. ''But his father interpreted this as weakness, and the Queen believed he knew what was best.''

At Gordonstoun, the young prince saw some of the toughest days of his life. At the boarding school, he was assigned to Windmill Lodge, where he had to sleep on the hard wooden beds in a dorm with bare lightbulbs. 

Charles's bed was just by the window, and during the winters, his bedcovers used to get all covered with snow, and during the rain, he had to sleep on the floor. Every day, they had to wake up early. Wearing shorts and shirtless, they had to run through the countryside, even during snow. After the run, they had to take an ice shower. 

"Gordonstoun was supposed to 'make a man out of him', although I never really understood what that meant," Rhodes said.

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Prince Charles' bullying days

The young monarch was a shy teen, and his days at the school were plagued by traumatic and merciless bullying by the boys. Once after taking a shower, Charles was tied up and pushed into the laundry basket, where he was hung naked, blasted with the cold water—shivering in the cold until a staff member heard his voice. 

In the night, he was beaten up with pillows, shoes, and fists by the boys in his dorm. 

He even got punched on the rugby field. One time, he ended up with a broken nose. However, he still didn't put up a fight or even complain about the bullying out of fear that complaining would only make everything worse. 

''Most boys tend to fight shy of friendship with Charles. The result is that he is very lonely. It is this loneliness, rather than the school’s toughness, which must be hardest on him,'' one schoolmate said, reports Daily Mail. 

Another said: "Charles was crushingly lonely for most of his time there. The wonder is that he survived with his sanity intact."

Prince Andrew's time at the boarding school 

Prince Andrew's life at Gordonstoun was totally different. However, by the time he entered the school, a lot of changes were made, like the regime was not tough anymore, hot water was provided, and there were centrally heated and carpeted rooms.

Andrew was totally different from Charles. With his sense of humour and charm, he easily made friends and even became the leader of the pack. 

''He has no time for sycophants and if anyone tries to take the mickey out of him, he fights back," said a master. ''He’s just as good with the verbals as with his fists.''

War Of The Windsors: The Inside Story Of Charles, Andrew And The Rivalry That Has Defined The Royal Family, by Nigel Cawthorne, will be available on the stands from August 31.

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