No wonder Charles was so unhappy at school

This is what people pay for? Madness.

Prince Philip went there didn't he? And loved it???

So did Peter and Zara Phillips I think.

Sadly, I am not at all surprised. Most boys’ public schools in the past were pretty vicious. My brother went to one, and hated it. The culture was supposed to be ‘character-forming’.

Prince Philip was made of different stuff from his son, for a start he'd had a very peripatetic upbringing, he'd been in active service during the War, all of which I imagine developed his tough nut exterior, Charles on the other hand has been presented as sensitive and not overly confident as a child.

Gordonstoun sounded a ghastly place and allegedly Charles unsurprisingly was very unhappy there, I think most kids, unless made of sterner stuff, would be. What is it with fathers who think their school toughened them up so they must subject their son/s to the same very spartan rigours, I've even read about such men having boarded themselves, knowing about the sexual abuse that went on, merely regarding that as par for the course, "something one is expected to put up with"

When young children are sent away from home they're isolated, they don't have a voice. It's not only boarding schools, sexual and physical abuse has been rife in orphanages, children's homes, they seem to be a magnet for sadists and paedophiles. Testaments of those who have survived these places are often adults who carry the scars on into their adult lives.

I always thought If.... (the movie) was representative of public school life, the bullying, the beatings, the older boys controlling the young ones. Just awful.

As Terribull says, it seems that abuse went on in every kind of institution where young ones were boarded out and left at the mercy of adults. We hear it time and time again. So is it any different today I wonder. How can we know?

My neighbour sent her son away at 7.

To my mind that amounts to abuse.

Poor wee kids really. Desperately sad. My father never recovered from abuse during his time as an evacuee.

I don’t think it’s possible to generalise, as with most things in life. My husband boarded at an independent school, and was never bullied or abused. In fact, he loved it. He was a sportsman and a team player all his life as a result.

No one can say there was abuse when Prince Phillip attended so not fair to say he knew yet sent Charles, Charles certainly didn’t send his sons

Whitewavemark2

My neighbour sent her son away at 7.

To my mind that amounts to abuse.

Yes, it does, unless it is absolutely necessary for some reason. I knew someone sent away to school at that age. He was asthmatic, and the other boys beat him up when his asthma attacks kept them awake at night.

Yes, it happened. Yes, it was terrible.
I'd be very very surprised if it happens now.

Casdon

I don’t think it’s possible to generalise, as with most things in life. My husband boarded at an independent school, and was never bullied or abused. In fact, he loved it. He was a sportsman and a team player all his life as a result.

Mine too!

And mine! He had a great time and often talks nostalgically about it.

My DH went to boarding school and says he loved it! I made it very clear to him that even if we could afford it our children would never be sent away to school. They all thrived in our local primary and comprehensive school.
Sending a child away at a very young age is abhorrent to me !! Having said that our eldest daughter used to ask to go to boarding school, I think childs temperant is an important factor , she may well have had a great time there , our son on the other hand would have hated it. I recognize that if parents are in the armed forces or have to work abroad then school may be the best option. Fortunately we were not in that situation.

My husband boarded from 7 to 18 and loved it.
Our youngest boarded from 11 and was also happy.

I thought boarding school sounded jolly good fun when I read the Mallory Towers books, it was all those midnight feasts in the dorm. I rather think Hogwarts might have sold the idea of boarding to a later generation.

I think it’s awful to have a child and send it away I don’t understand it at all and for everyone who says their husband, son, boyfriend had a great time I bet there’s two or more that didn’t

It was different for upper classes in the 1930's because it was the norm. The schools were still trying to fit round pegs into square holes, still potential for bullying and abuse, but at least children wouldn't expect otherwise. Today it is much less de riguer & unless a child asked to go, must make them feel rejected. Also I think "one thriving, one hating it" isn't a fair equation as the ones hating it might be thoroughly miserable through all those long formative years.

Some thrive, and some hate all types of schooling though valdali. Boarding schools suit some children and not others, some children hate their comprehensive or their family and want to board, some independent day pupils want to board, some children want to be home schooled, and some resist everything.. There is no model that suits everybody.

My daughters loved their high school, their cousin hated it

Whatever model suits different children, it sure as hell wasn’t the Godonstoun one.

I thought Anne, Andrew and Edward went to Gordonstoun. I wonder if they sent their children there

At least if you're at comprehensive & hate it, you have some respite. I hated grammar but I had good friends on the local bus home (private school kids funnily), & friends & family at home, & my pony & the farm. If I'd had to live there, no amount of excellent education (& it was good) wouldv'e made up for the misery.