King Charles' Comment About Prince George's First Day Goes Viral

King Charles III's comments about his eldest grandson, Prince George, have become the subject of a new viral video after footage from the prince's first day at school has resurfaced on social media site TikTok.

George is the eldest son of William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and is currently second in line to inherit the throne. The prince was born in 2013 and is the eldest of Charles' three grandsons, ahead of his brother, Prince Louis, and his paternal cousin, Prince Archie.

George started school in 2017 when he was 4 years old. The prince attended Thomas's Battersea school in London where he was joined by sister, Princess Charlotte, in 2019. In 2022, the three Wales children began the new academic year at Lambrook School in Berkshire, close to their home in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Interest in William and Kate's three children has grown in recent years, with the public taking an interest in both their public appearances and personal developments, including their schooling.

When George started his education in 2017, one of the members of the royal family to comment on the milestone moment was his grandfather, Charles, who was at that time still known as the Prince of Wales, not yet having acceded to the throne.

Uploaded to TikTok by user _maria_elena_14, on January 19, footage of Charles taken at an official engagement on September 7, 2017, shows the royal sharing his sympathy for "poor old thing" George as he took the first steps of independence.

"Your grandson had his first day at school today, did you give him any advice?" a broadcaster asked Charles, to which he laughingly responded: "Of course not! He wouldn't take it from me I don't think at that age."

"I shall be interested to hear how he got on," he continued. "At that age you don't worry quite so much about going to school as you do when you get a bit older."

When told his grandson "looked a bit anxious this morning," he added: "Oh, poor old thing. But it's being left there to have get on with it when the parents go away that's always the problem. It's good for you in the end I suppose. It's character building."

Charles' own school days are known to have not been particularly happy. He reportedly called his Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun "Colditz with kilts" and chose not to send his own sons to the institution that had also educated his father, Prince Philip. Instead, Prince William and Prince Harry attended Eton College in the shadow of Windsor Castle.

The video clip of Charles' comment about George's school day has been viewed over 150,000 times on the social media site so far, and gained in excess of 7,000 likes and numerous comments, many of which have praised the king.

"He's actually really perceptive. We know his school years weren't so great so he's got a reflective way of looking at how the fear of going to school doesn't come in yet. It feels personal," wrote one TikTok user.

"Lovely response," posted another, with a further comment reading: "Charles had a awful experience at school...like many of us."

Charles and George's relationship was highlighted in 2023 when the young prince acted as one of the Pages of Honour at his grandfather's coronation. George, with several other similarly aged boys, held the king's robes as he processed through Westminster Abbey for the historic event.

The prince also posed with his father and grandfather for an official photograph at Buckingham Palace for the day, showing King Charles with his two direct heirs.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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