King Charles’ alma mater Gordonstoun is set to open a new school in Abu Dhabi in September 2027.
The storied Scottish boarding school announced the development of its Middle Eastern offering in 2023. Gordonstoun’s United Arab Emirates outpost will be headed up by Brendan Law, who has experience leading other successful branded schools in the Middle East such as Brighton College Abu Dhabi and Cranleigh Abu Dhabi.
It will be located on Jubail Island, a waterfront community being built in Abu Dhabi, as Gordonstoun has partnered with Jubail Island Investment Company and Spaces Investment & Real Estate Development to bring the school to fruition.
This will be the first branded school opened by Gordonstoun, following a trend of other schools making the same move to the Middle East, with names such as Repton and New York’s Dwight School already having a presence in the UAE.
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‘I’ll be surprised if they [Gordonstoun] don’t make it work,’ said Matthew Goldie-Scot, managing director of educational consultancy Thuso.
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Goldie-Scot, who advises HNW families on getting their children into elite schools like Gordonstoun, said: ‘I would say there are two main reasons why people buy into Gordonstoun: the school has always had a focus on leadership, the outdoors, fitness and service, and also because of the cachet associated with the royal family.’
There is already a connection between the UAE and Gordonstoun. Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, attended the school for one summer during his youth.
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As well as Al Nahyan, the school has a rich history of royal pupils. Most famously, King Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and their father Prince Philip attended Gordonstoun. While the royal family’s connection with the Scottish countryside could be cited as a reason for them attending the school, it was in fact 20th century history that led to them being educated there. In 1933, Prince Philip was sent to Schule Schloss Salem, a school popular with European nobility, but two terms into his education the school’s founder, Kurt Hahn, was forced to move to the United Kingdom because he was Jewish, leading the young prince to move with him. Subsequently, Hahn established the then British Salem School of Gordonstoun in 1934 in the former house of Sir William Gordon-Cumming.
Other notable figures have also attended the school. Zara Tyndall and Lord Ivar Mountbatten are members of the extended royal family who have attended the Highland school. Hollywood royalty also graduated from Gordonstoun, as Game of Thrones star Oona Chaplin, granddaughter of silent film star Charlie Chaplin, left the school in 2007. Fictional characters have even attended the school, with Tomb Raider heroine Lara Croft having completed her education there.
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The royal appeal of the school has dwindled in recent years, with younger generations of royals attending Eton and Marlborough College. Goldie-Scot said: ‘It is probably less fashionable now than it was at its peak, so it is not one of the most competitive schools to secure a place at.’
‘When they leave the school [Gordonstoun], they will not just have good grades but will have developed an all-round skillset, which in today’s society is arguably even more important than when King Charles went there,’ said Thomas Harley, founder of HRB Education.
Gordonstoun was founded with an ethos of education centred around outdoor pursuits. To facilitate this, the school has a climbing wall, a nine-hole golf course on its 200-acre grounds and a fully equipped ocean-going sailing yacht. The school even has its own volunteer fire service station, which pupils help to run.
‘In a world where many children are focused on their mobile phones and their iPads, Gordonstoun provides an outdoor learning experience,’ said Johanna Mitchell, founder and director of education consultancy Lumos Education. ‘There are very few schools that have their own 80-foot boat complete with its own crew that enables pupils to sail for up to five days.’
‘The apparel of Gordonstoun is that it really develops silence and independence in children,’ Mitchell added.
However, the learning environment at Gordonstoun has been tough in the past and at times has turned into abuse. In 2024, Lady Smith, chairwoman of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, published a report saying the school has a history of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. These comments were not made in reference to the present-day school, which has not seen such controversy.
‘It is not a boot camp,’ said Mitchell. ‘There is this historic image of Gordonstoun as a harsh environment, but it really is not anymore. The pastoral care is excellent, children are cared for and nurtured, it’s actually quite a soft environment as a boarder.’
In concurrence with this modern approach to Kurt Hahn’s educational principles, Thomas Harley said: ‘When they leave the school [Gordonstoun], they will not just have good grades but will have developed an all-round skillset, which in today’s society is arguably even more important than when King Charles went there.’
