A former schoolmate of King Charles III has slammed The Crown’s depiction of the monarch’s time at the institution, saying a key detail is “rubbish”.
Stuart Agnew, a former UKIP MEP and retired farmer, formerly attended Gordonstoun, where he shared a class with the monarch.
Netflix show The Crown explored Charles’ time at school, showing the experience to be a particularly brutal stage of his life.
Agnew, sharing his experiences on GB News with Nigel Farage, admits he “didn’t like” his own time at the school, but felt The Crown weren’t fully accurate in their depiction, in particular when it came to sport.
King Charles is preparing for his CoronationReutersThe show appeared to show Charles unwilling to compete in sporting activities, something Agnew claims is fabricated.
He said: “If you watched The Crown, there was an excerpt there which suggests he ducked out of a cross country run.
“That’s rubbish, he didn’t. That boy was duty driven and he never would have done that.
“If he had, we would have been talking about it throughout the rest of the five years at the school. He never did that.”
Stuart Agnew has revealed what King Charles was like as a classmate
GB News
The ex-UKIP MEP admits Netflix were accurate in their portrayal of the school being a “grim” place to attend.
When questioned by Nigel Farage on the matter, he said: “I found it tough I must say. There was a morning run at quarter to seven at Bellwood Ring.
“The only furniture we had in the dormitory was the bed, with a blanket on it. We had to have our gym shoes and running shorts.
“Towards the end of the Christmas term, somebody was allocated to injure themselves on the morning run because if they did that, there would be no morning run for the rest of term!
“I drew the short-straw as I ran into a steel cylindrical dustbin and drew blood, making loads of noise.
“I was the hero for the rest of term!”
Agnew, who is also a retired farmer, spoke on King Charles’ time at school, saying he “admired” his former classmate.
He said: “I thought that he handled it well. In those days I did admire him, but I think he talks lots of rubbish now I have to say.
“He could never duck out of anything. He always handed his prep in on time. He was expected to take lead part in the Shakespeare play, he was expected to sing a solo in the choir, he was expected to master a musical instrument, he was expected to do well academically.
“He wasn’t sporty, which was a disadvantage in a school like that, but I give him full marks for really trying hard.”
It comes as the King prepares for his Coronation, with invitations being sent out to thousands of guests.
The title Queen Camilla was used for the first time in an official capacity through the invitations, after she had previously been referred to as Queen Consort since the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
