Elgin: Facilities at Gordonstone School in north-east Scotland include a climbing wall, a rifle range and a five-hole golf course, and students can even take advantage of bag lessons.
But the institution in the far north of Scotland is famous for another reason: one of its former students happens to be King Charles III.
It doesn’t get more isolated than Gordonstone, near Elgin, about 66 miles (106 km) from Aberdeen on the North Sea coast.
Getting there involves driving on narrow country roads.
Beyond the gates are tranquil grounds stretching over 220 acres (90 hectares), with beautiful Scottish woodland and meadows.
About 500 children and teenagers from nearly 40 countries attend the school, including 17-year-old Amelia Lee from Hong Kong, who is Charles’ roommate.
“It’s amazing,” he told AFP, showing the future king’s desk and chest of drawers from the era.
“Honestly, I don’t really use it,” he said.
After being elected class captain, Lee was assigned to a room in Charles’ dorm.
Charles, later known as the Prince of Wales, spent his teenage years in Gordonstoun from 1962 to 1967, aged 13 to 18.
His attendance at the school was a first for the future king of England, and until then he was educated by a tutor.
“He was treated like any other student,” Gordonstowe principal Lisa Kerr said.
At the end of May, the king, now 75, agreed to become the special patron of the Gordonstoun Alumni Association.
It is the latest public relations coup for the school, which has worked hard to dispel the perception that the king hated his time there.
Charles often spoke of comparing his time at school to that of Colditz, a prisoner of war during World War II.
The hit series based on the British royal family, The Crown, has given greater currency to reported comments.
We can’t, so we have to accept it as a myth.”
Kerr admits to starting her days with a morning run to get her circulation going, followed by a cool down after a hot shower.
Gordonstone still provides “hard and wide” education, guided by the motto “plus est en vous” – “there is more in you” – to encourage business.
One mural tells students, “We don’t grow when things are easy, we grow when we face challenges.”
The school was founded in 1934 by Kurt Hahn, a German-Jewish teacher who fled the Nazis.
Among his first students was Prince Philip, Charles’ father, who married his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Charles’ sister Andrew and Edward were also present.
Other royals also sent their children to the school, with Conan Connery’s son Jason and David Bowie’s son Duncan Jones both attending.
Lara Croft, the creator of Tomb Raider, imagines her experience as a former student after opening the door for girls in 1972.
Among the students, a small group in blue and gray uniforms roamed the Gordonstoun house.
A third of the students are from Scotland, a third from England and the rest from overseas. The cost on file is about 50,000 pounds ($64,000). Some students receive scholarships.
“It’s not just about passing exams and getting good grades,” Kerr said. “It’s about being a better person.”
Guests can enjoy activities such as cricket and swimming, tennis, hockey and sailing, while those who prefer music can take private lessons in backpacking.
A teenager sings in front of his classmates while his mother watches in the audience during a scene in which Charles plays Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s Scottish production.
All seniors must join one of the nine community and school lifeguards. Amelia Lee is part of the Coastal Rescue Team.
Students train with local coastguards on rocks above sea.
“When it rains … when it’s freezing cold, it teaches you patience,” Lee said.
