Latest news with #Gordonstoun
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Princess Anne's surprising wish for her two children that made the Queen 'anxious' and left a lasting legacy to this day
For many fans of the royals, it would be a dream come true to become a member of the most famous family in Britain. However, in the case of Princess Anne - the late Queen's most rebellious child - she was desperate for her children to have as normal an upbringing as possible. To do so, the Princess Royal decided on behalf of her son and daughter that they would forgo much of the trappings of royal life. Anne's controversial decision happened immediately after the birth of her son Peter in 1977 when she decided her son would not be given a title. Writing in his biography of Princess Anne, royal insider Brian Hoey said that Anne did so because she believed 'in this day and age a title would be more of a hindrance than an advantage as her children try to make their way in the world'. Although Queen Elizabeth II reluctantly agreed to Anne's request. Hoey wrote that the late Queen had been 'anxious' to give her first born grandson a title. And - according to royal biographer Ingrid Seward - Elizabeth was left disappointed by her decision but was nevertheless persuaded to respect her daughter's decision. Despite not being bestowed the title of prince, Peter still grew up with many of the airs and graces that define the royals. After his birth Anne was quick to resume her own duties as a working member of the royals which meant that Peter was brought up by a nanny. Peter and later his sister also went to Gordonstoun, the same public school his grandfather - Philip - and his three uncles all attended. Hoey perfectly summarised Peter's upbringing as 'not exactly a run-of-the-mill commoner'. When Anne's daughter was born in 1981, she again decided not to give her a royal title and broke convention in a different way when she named her Zara, an unusual for a member of the Royal Family. And the Princess Royal was very much involved with bringing up her daughter with a young Zara 'never very far from Anne's side'. Whether Anne succeeded in giving Zara and Peter a 'normal' life is up for debate but they certainly got the best of both worlds in many respects. As while their cousins continue their roles as working members of the family, Anne's children have had successful careers elsewhere. From 2000, Peter worked in Formula One first for Jaguar as a corporate hospitality manager and then for Williams racing team as a sponsorship accounts manager. Anne with the Queen and a young Peter. Despite not being bestowed the title of prince, Peter still grew up with many of the airs and graces that define the royals Anne pregnant with Zara. The Princess Royal was very much involved with bringing up her daughter with a young Zara 'never very far from Anne's side' He left F1 in 2006 for a job at the Royal Bank of Scotland and since leaving the bank in 2012 he has held numerous other jobs in the private sector. Zara had a successful equestrian career which saw her compete in multiple horse riding competitions. Her career high point was representing Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics where she won a silver medal in the equestrian team eventing. This was the first time Britain had won a medal in the event since 1972 when Zara's father - Captain Mark Phillips - won a gold. Peter has in the past made lucrative uses of his royal connections despite not being a prince. At his wedding to his now-ex-wife Autumn Kelly, the couple sold Hello! the exclusive rights to picture most of the ceremony including inside the chapel and the reception in Frogmore House. This resulted in a 100-page exclusive feature from the magazine, which included remarkably candid shots of the royals including images of the family laughing and one photo of Prince Harry giving his grandmother - Elizabeth II - a peck on the cheek. They were a far cry from the traditionally stage-managed wedding photographs released by the Royal Family. However, senior members of the family - including the late Queen - were less than impressed and allegedly felt blindsided by the publication of the pictures. Buckingham Palace released a statement shortly afterwards claiming that the deal was a 'serious error of judgement'. The couple's profitable wedding deal with Hello! would not be their last money making scheme. Eight years later, Peter's celebrity management company was paid £750,000 to oversee a £150-a-head street party in The Mall to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday. Peter was criticised in 2020 for using his family connections to sell milk on Chinese TV. Anne's mission to give Zara and Peter a more normal upbringing has left a lasting legacy on the Royal Family with younger members of the firm also attempting to bring more normality to their lives. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's children - Archie and Lillibet - were given royal titles upon King Charles' accession to the throne. However, Harry and Meghan - who stepped down as working royals in 2020 - have not explained their royal titles to their young children just yet. According to US Weekly in August 2024, Harry and Meghan have not explained their royal heritage to their children but will 'have those conversations in due time'. Harry and the young Prince Archie and Princess Lillibet are still fifth, sixth and seventh in line to the British throne respectively. For the Prince and Princess of Wales, giving their children a more ordinary upbringing has been seen as a priority. This means getting George, Charlotte and Louis to muck in with the chores. In August 2024, a source told the Mail: 'I think it would surprise people to see how ordinary things are at home. 'The children help with laying the table, clearing their plates when they've finished eating and helping with tidying up. There's no preferential treatment.' The royal couple decided three years ago that Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, the family's former live-in nanny, would not relocate with them when they moved to Windsor from Kensington Palace. Although the couple still make use of a nanny, evenings in their four-bedroom country bolthole Adelaide Cottage involve just themselves, taking turns to do the cooking. The source said: 'Catherine is very, very natural. She keeps the family down to earth. 'Home is a safe haven. In a bid to keep things functioning as smoothly as possible she has been keen for everything to carry on as normal for the children.' The source added: 'The children are still expected do their chores and to muck in at home.'
Press and Journal
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Press and Journal
Prom photos: Gordonstoun Class of 2025 leavers' ball
Gordonstoun's Class of 2025 has partied together for the last time. The graduating pupils dressed to impress as they gathered for their leavers' event at the school in Moray. And they made it a night to remember before going their separate ways in the world. The Gordonstoun prom is the latest to feature in our Class of '25 series, in which we showcase pictures from some of the leavers' proms and dances across the north and north-east. If you enjoyed this gallery, you might like these:
Sunday Post
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Sunday Post
UN aid worker: In 25 years I have never seen a crisis as bad as Gaza
Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up A British aid worker has returned from six months spearheading the World Food Programme's response to the Gaza crisis – and says it is the most challenging posting he has ever faced. Former Gordonstoun pupil Matthew Hollingworth has worked in Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine and across Africa but found none of those as difficult as Gaza. The United Nations organisation's life-saving aid for civilians in Gaza has been backed by £14.25 million support from the UK Government since October 2023. Foreign Secretary David Lammy has been leading calls for more aid to enter Gaza and Hollingworth, 49, has seen first-hand the desperation of people suffering extreme hunger and malnutrition. Hollingworth said: 'There is no crisis in the world like Gaza. In my 25 years of service in humanitarian crises all over the world, I've never experienced anything as challenging as Gaza. It is beyond comparison. 'I've worked in war zones as aggressive, as violent and as frightening – but the big difference is that when the lead is flying and bombs start dropping, people can usually move away. The awful thing about Gaza is there is nowhere to move to. The entirety of that tiny 25-mile strip is a war zone and no man, woman or child can escape its intensity. 'I still find it hard to comprehend the level of desperation and hunger, fear and isolation that the people were experiencing. 'When we crossed the frontlines into Gaza City with aid, we had people running towards our convoys to snatch a packet of food off a truck, risking being fired upon by machine guns. 'People were dropping to the floor with gunshot wounds but still people would run towards us just to try and get a can of beans. The hunger was so extreme.' Hollingworth added: 'I'll never forget asking a child queuing at a WFP bakery what were his dreams for the future. You expect a child to say something like 'I want to be an engineer or a doctor or a footballer' or 'I want to go on holiday'. But his response was simply: 'I dream of having a chicken sandwich.' When I asked when he'd last had a sandwich with any kind of meat, he could not remember.' Far-travelled Hollingworth is from a military family. He was born in Nottingham and attended Gordonstoun boarding school in Moray, where King Charles also studied. The dad-of-three now lives in Beirut with his Lebanese-American wife and works as the World Food Programme's country director for Lebanon. Just two months after Hollingworth returned from Gaza last July to start his new role in Beirut, Israel launched an incursion into Lebanon to pursue Hezbollah. Hollingworth and his WFP team helped provide assistance to almost a million civilians displaced from southern Lebanon. The UK Government announced £15m in humanitarian support to provide Lebanon with essential medical supplies, emergency cash assistance, shelter and access to clean water, including £10m to the WFP. The tentative and fragile ceasefire is looking increasingly shaky, with Israel attacking locations in Lebanese capital Beirut at the end of last month. © Supplied by FCDO Hollingworth said: 'Sadly, explosions are all part of life in Beirut. The latest bombings happened in another suburb, but you can certainly hear them when it happens. To be honest, after so many years of working in conflict zones you can identify what kind of munitions are being used and how far away they are to assess how to respond appropriately to the risk. 'Sadly, I've had too many close shaves in several countries over the past 25 years. I lived through the Baghdad bombing at the UN mission based at the Canal Hotel in 2003, which tragically killed 23 UN staff. 'I was part of the UN team in Syria that was pinned down for eight or nine hours as the Siege of Homs was broken. We were hiding in basements of bombed-out buildings, while the place was being mortared and sniped at until we finally managed to negotiate a way out. 'Over the years I have gotten used to going to sleep to the staccato of gunfire and 'crump' of shellfire. Unfortunately, places where the aid sector is focused these days are by their very nature difficult and dangerous but that's where people need our help the most. That is why we are there, but whatever we go through, the local population suffers far, far more. 'I think 25 years ago, we had a lot more confidence that a Red Cross or a UN emblem would be some kind of guarantee of safe access and movement. Increasingly that is no longer the case and the term 'collateral damage' is more and more of a reality for humanitarian workers operating in war zones.' Hollingworth is strongly motivated by seeing with his own eyes the impact humanitarian aid has on the ground. The UK Government announced £17m in humanitarian funding on January 28 to ensure healthcare, food and shelter reaches tens of thousands of civilians and to support vital infrastructure across the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In total the UK has announced £129m this financial year, including £12m to the United Nations' Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the WFP. Hollingworth said: 'I've had many challenging days in the last 25 years of being in this line of work, but I've never had a period where I didn't genuinely see the impact of what we are doing and feel that what we are trying to achieve is worthwhile. 'Where are we right now? We are at the point where people are ever more despairing because of the lack of basic goods getting into Gaza – flour, beans, vegetable oil, clean water. 'We know what we can achieve if we can get our trucks in through every possible entry point. We have the means to provide hot meals and help bakeries to reopen. We have the resources to do our job – to feed the population.'
The Independent
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
King's old school launches football partnership with professional club in Dubai
The King's old school in Scotland has formed a sporting partnership with a Dubai professional football club. Gordonstoun, a private boarding school in Moray, has also committed to local partnerships with rugby and football leagues to increase competition and strengthen community links. The school was founded by a Jewish refugee who fled Nazi Germany and alumni include the King and Prince Philip and David Bowie's son, Duncan Bowie, but around a third of pupils attend on a form of scholarship. The school revealed plans to work with professional football club Gulf United, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which is led by an ex-pupil, Mohamed Al Rais. He hailed the school as a 'rich tapestry of nationalities' and said that football was a force for 'unity'. Plans include an exchange programme between Gordonstoun students and young footballers at the club, and education-based football programmes which will allow students to experience what it is like to be a professional footballer while continuing their studies. The club also has scholarships, helping talented student-athletes to gain entry to universities in America and Canada. Gordonstoun will hire a team of experienced coaches as part of the long-term sports strategy, and have formed a partnership with Moray RFC in Elgin to run combined rugby junior age groups, with guidance from Scottish Rugby Union (SRU). The most talented players will be invited to regional training sessions and matches, and the sports strategy is aimed at mixed sex education, from the prep school to sixth form, and also includes cricket, tennis, hockey and netball. Students who demonstrate sporting aptitude will have access to a wider selection of pathways to support their ambitions, and the school said it would develop 'elite academy training facilities' in sports such as golf, sailing, fencing and equestrianism. Headteacher Simon Cane-Hardy said: 'This is an exciting new era for sport at Gordonstoun, a vision where sports provision is designed to benefit all our students while strengthening our links with the local community and building new sporting partnerships around the world. 'Our long-term sports strategy will allow us to support all levels of sporting ability and to better identify the most talented children, supporting them with qualified coaches, offering elite pathways and creating more competitive opportunities. 'New football and rugby and sporting partnerships will offer students a unique opportunity to work in a professional environment to support their ambitions both at home and in other countries around the world. 'The fixture calendar will be focusing on participation in local rugby and football leagues to increase competition opportunities and to minimise regular long-distance travel. 'Overall, this will create greater flexibility in the sporting timetable, ensuring a better balance with other parts of the school curriculum. 'We are continuously improving and innovating the education we deliver, whether that's in the classroom, through service to others, in the mountains or on the sports field.' Mr Al Rais, Gulf United director, said: 'This partnership will create a positive value exchange between Gulf United and Gordonstoun, fostering a rewarding and beneficial environment for young student-athletes to develop. 'Sport, and in particular, football, is a powerful tool for unity. This is evident at Gulf United where we are proudly represented by 82 nationalities, whilst our home city of Dubai boasts over 200 nationalities. Likewise, Gordonstoun is represented by a rich tapestry of nationalities. 'These dynamic and welcoming environments greatly enhance the experience for students, allowing them to broaden their horizons, whilst positively aiding their development, not only as players, but as people.'
Leader Live
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
King's old school launches football partnership with professional club in Dubai
Gordonstoun, a private boarding school in Moray, has also committed to local partnerships with rugby and football leagues to increase competition and strengthen community links. The school was founded by a Jewish refugee who fled Nazi Germany and alumni include the King and Prince Philip and David Bowie's son, Duncan Bowie, but around a third of pupils attend on a form of scholarship. The school revealed plans to work with professional football club Gulf United, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which is led by an ex-pupil, Mohamed Al Rais. He hailed the school as a 'rich tapestry of nationalities' and said that football was a force for 'unity'. Plans include an exchange programme between Gordonstoun students and young footballers at the club, and education-based football programmes which will allow students to experience what it is like to be a professional footballer while continuing their studies. The club also has scholarships, helping talented student-athletes to gain entry to universities in America and Canada. Gordonstoun will hire a team of experienced coaches as part of the long-term sports strategy, and have formed a partnership with Moray RFC in Elgin to run combined rugby junior age groups, with guidance from Scottish Rugby Union (SRU). The most talented players will be invited to regional training sessions and matches, and the sports strategy is aimed at mixed sex education, from the prep school to sixth form, and also includes cricket, tennis, hockey and netball. Students who demonstrate sporting aptitude will have access to a wider selection of pathways to support their ambitions, and the school said it would develop 'elite academy training facilities' in sports such as golf, sailing, fencing and equestrianism. Headteacher Simon Cane-Hardy said: 'This is an exciting new era for sport at Gordonstoun, a vision where sports provision is designed to benefit all our students while strengthening our links with the local community and building new sporting partnerships around the world. 'Our long-term sports strategy will allow us to support all levels of sporting ability and to better identify the most talented children, supporting them with qualified coaches, offering elite pathways and creating more competitive opportunities. 'New football and rugby and sporting partnerships will offer students a unique opportunity to work in a professional environment to support their ambitions both at home and in other countries around the world. 'The fixture calendar will be focusing on participation in local rugby and football leagues to increase competition opportunities and to minimise regular long-distance travel. 'Overall, this will create greater flexibility in the sporting timetable, ensuring a better balance with other parts of the school curriculum. 'We are continuously improving and innovating the education we deliver, whether that's in the classroom, through service to others, in the mountains or on the sports field.' Mr Al Rais, Gulf United director, said: 'This partnership will create a positive value exchange between Gulf United and Gordonstoun, fostering a rewarding and beneficial environment for young student-athletes to develop. 'Sport, and in particular, football, is a powerful tool for unity. This is evident at Gulf United where we are proudly represented by 82 nationalities, whilst our home city of Dubai boasts over 200 nationalities. Likewise, Gordonstoun is represented by a rich tapestry of nationalities. 'These dynamic and welcoming environments greatly enhance the experience for students, allowing them to broaden their horizons, whilst positively aiding their development, not only as players, but as people.'
