In honor of the life and recent passing of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, we took a dive into where he went to school before becoming royalty. 

Founded in 1934 by German Educationalist, Dr. Kurt Hahn, Gordonstoun School is a co-educational boarding institution in Scotland for students aged 4.5-18. The school is famous among royalty, as three-generations of the Royal Family attended: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (one of the first students); Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Peter Phillips, and Zara Tindell. The school was the first public school to educate an heir to the British throne.

They state, “At Gordonstoun, we believe that a broader curriculum broadens not only minds, but opportunities, too. It is a belief that’s served both us and our students well for over 8p years and that has made Gordonstoun the world leader in character education. Our curriculum, which is unrivaled in breadth, helps every child achieve their full potential.”

According to their website, Gordonstoun School was created because Dr. Kurt Hahn “set out to develop the qualities of compassion, honesty, initiative, a thirst for adventure, and a sense of service to others in them. His intention was not just to prepare his students for exams, but also for life.” They go on to say that, “This approach to character education is still achieved by Gordonstoun by combining inspiring classroom learning with an exciting and richly varied range of out of classroom learning experiences. All students take part in our world beating outdoor education and sail training programme, take part in team and individual sports, explore the performing arts, and participate in one of the School’s nine services to the community. These widely differing challenges instill a can-do attitude in our pupils and give them the ability to adapt to new situations quickly and confidently; skills which are essential in later life.”

Gordonstoun School touts its “close-knit community” and diversity of students from over 40 countries. Among members of the Royal Family, notable alumni include the son of David Bowie, and the son of Sir Sean Connery.

The school remains one of the UK’s last remaining full boarding schools as well as one of the most prestigious. 

Are you familiar with education fit for royalty? Let us know in the comments!

Cover photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash