Unlike his grandson, Prince George, who will be heading off to Eton College this September, King Charles was educated a lot further afield as a teenager. The monarch followed in his father's footsteps and went to Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland.
This made him the first Prince of Wales to be educated at a school rather than by private tutors and the late Prince Philip wanted to send his son a little piece of home to keep with him. Instead of a conventional care package or sentimental photo, the doting dad gave his eldest son something a lot more historic - and unexpected.
It turns out Prince Philip sent King Charles a 12th-century Norman font, to remind him of "English beauty" while he was away.
According to The Independent, this "strange story" has largely gone untold over the years and one of the object’s custodians, William Cash, recently revealed how it all came to be. The late Duke of Edinburgh spotted the Norman font while visiting St Michael’s Church in Shropshire in the 1960s with former MP Ivor Bulmer-Thomas.
He claimed, "They went to see it, and Prince Philip apparently said (of the font), ‘I think that would be really good if it was moved to Gordonstoun, because I want my son to be surrounded by ancient objects of English beauty’."
"I think Philip thought, ‘What a waste to have it just sitting in a storage unit,'" he added. "It’s quite large - how they got it up to Gordonstoun I really do not know. This is a strange story that to this day most people don’t know about."
The font stood in the modern school chapel during King Charles’s time there, but was returned to Shropshire in the 1970s. While it might have seemed like an odd choice of gift for a teenager, there could be special significance behind Philip’s gesture.
Decades later, he would concede that, at times, the relationship between he and his eldest son could sometimes be impacted by their differing personalities. In an interview with biographer Gyles Brandreth, as per OK!, Philip admitted, "[Charles is] a romantic, and I'm a pragmatist. That means we do see things differently and because I don't see things as a romantic would, I'm 'unfeeling.'"
Prince Philip choosing to do something as poetic and romantic as sending something to remind his son about England’s beauty and history might have been his way of connecting to his son on his level.
Having this reminder might have been a comfort to King Charles, as many reports over the years have alleged he didn't necessarily love his time at the boarding school. However, it went on to become a definite family favourite, as both of his younger brothers Andrew and Edward were educated there.
Later, his nephew Peter Phillips and niece Zara Tindall also attended Gordonstoun and she's spoken about really enjoying their experience.
"I loved school, I loved sport and being with my mates all the time," she said in 2018. "I don’t know how much work I did. You do get homesick, but I had so much fun, and Pete was very protective."
